Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has been appointed as president during a transitional period following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.
Reports indicate that the Syrian constitution has been suspended, and al-Sharaa has been granted the authority to establish a temporary legislative body to oversee governance until a new constitution is in place.
Read more: Damascus Welcomes First International Flight as Syrian Airspace Reopens
The announcement was made by Hassan Abdel Ghani, a spokesperson for the new government’s military operations sector. In a significant move, Abdel Ghani also declared the dissolution of armed groups in the country, asserting that all military factions would be incorporated into state institutions. “The defunct regime’s army, security forces, and the Baath Party have been disbanded,” he added. The Baath Party had ruled Syria for decades under both al-Assad and his predecessors.
The transition follows a rapid offensive led by al-Sharaa’s faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which succeeded in toppling al-Assad last month. Since then, HTS has assumed control, establishing an interim government largely made up of officials from its previous administration in rebel-held Idlib province.
Al-Sharaa has committed to a political transition, including a national conference, the formation of a representative government, and eventual elections, which he estimates could take up to four years. He has also called for the establishment of a unified national army and security forces, though analysts warn that integrating former opposition factions, each with distinct leadership and ideologies, remains a significant challenge.
Internationally, experts are closely monitoring the situation, especially as the European Union discusses the potential removal of sanctions on Syria. “In the past 48 hours, there have been reports about an EU roadmap to lift sanctions, which will play a crucial role in the country’s economic recovery,” Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid reported from Damascus.
