Syria formed a new government on Saturday, comprising technocrats and confidants of President Ahmad Al Shara, aiming to steer the country through a five-year transitional period and rebuild the damage wrought by civil war amid continuing Israeli threats, critical internal challenges and limited resources.
In the previous interim government, President Ahmad Al Shara had appointed close aides from his Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group, which led the rebel offensive that ousted Bashar Al Assad and ended more than 50 years of Assad family rule.
The new government of 23 ministers features technocrats and members of the civil society. Their inclusion is seen as a critical test of whether the new leadership can address long-standing concerns over the perceived lack of representation of the country’s diverse ethnic and religious minorities in the governing of post-Assad Syria.
“The appointments are a test for the West to see how inclusive the new leadership is,” Benjamin Feve, a researcher at Karam Shaar Advisory Limited, told The National. "In the end, there may be a little less diversity than initially expected but this is offset by the fact that there are many technicians, some of whom were trained in the West."
Damascus is hoping to unlock political and financial support from western capitals as it tries to revive an economy shattered by 13 years of civil war.
Among the new cabinet is human rights activist Hind Kabawat, the only woman in the government, appointed Minister of Social Affairs and Labour. A member of Syria's Christian minority, she served on the preparatory committee for the National Dialogue Conference held last month.
Raed Al Saleh, also a famous civil society figure, has been appointed Minister of Reconstruction, Emergency Response and Disaster Relief. He led the Syrian Civil Defence, widely known as the White Helmets.
In terms of religious representation, the new government features Yarub Badr, Minister of Transportation, who belongs to the Alawite community; Amjad Badr, a Druze, appointed Minister of Agriculture; and Mohammed Terko, a Kurd, who is now Minister of Education.
The cabinet includes many technocrats who have studied abroad and obtained degrees from top western universities.
Key posts – such as foreign affairs and defence – were retained by the same ministers, who are among Mr Al Shara’s most loyal confidants.
Anas Khattab, formerly head of general intelligence, a prominent HTS figure who is widely considered one of the President's closest allies, has been appointed Interior Minister.
“Every part of Syrian society should be satisfied with the appointments," Mr Feve said. "But we’re waiting to see how things actually play out in practice and who will be really in charge behind the scenes.”
The appointments come two weeks after Syria’s President signed the country’s constitutional declaration, which will be enforced during a five-year transitional period, making it the main executive framework guiding the transition phase. The cabinet does not have a prime minister, according to the interim constitution.
Critical time
The formation of the new government comes at a critical time for Syria, amid continuing Israeli raids and strikes, and in the aftermath of a brutal campaign against Assad loyalists marked by sectarian and revenge killings that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority.
“We are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national journey and the formation of a new government today is a declaration of our shared will to build a new state,” Mr Al Shara said during a televised ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on Saturday evening.
“During this difficult phase, efforts will be redoubled to face every challenge confronting our people."
One of Syria’s main challenges is building a new army from scratch to re-establish security across the country, after agreements with the Kurds and the Druze community, and to protect its borders with Lebanon and Israel.
“We aim to build a professional national army that sacrifices everything for Syria’s sovereignty and safety,” said Mr Al Shara. “We will maintain stable foreign relations to secure Syria’s and its allies' long-term interests.”
Another challenge is the easing of far-reaching sanctions imposed by western countries more than a decade ago in response to Mr Al Assad’s brutal repression of peaceful protests, measures that have shattered Syria's economy.
The US and the EU have repeated the importance of Syria establishing an inclusive government as a prerequisite for lifting sanctions. During the conference, Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani made it clear that Syria was seeking to forge new diplomatic alliances.
“We worked to reopen Syria's doors so it could regain its status … Syria's diplomacy will be a voice of wisdom and balance, and we will build international relations based on mutual respect,” he said.
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