Ahmed al-Sharaa, the former leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has been named Syria’s transitional president.
The announcement came after a meeting of rebel faction leaders on Wednesday, as confirmed by a military spokesperson. The spokesperson also revealed sweeping changes, including the dissolution of Syria’s parliament, the creation of an appointed legislative council, and the annulment of the 2012 constitution.
Additionally, Syria’s military and security agencies are set to be disbanded, with plans to establish new security institutions and a unified national army.
Al-Sharaa will also oversee a transitional government tasked with stabilising the war-torn nation. He stressed that the transitional government’s priorities included filling the power vacuum, ensuring civil peace, and rebuilding state institutions.
The transitional administration is slated to transfer power to a new government by March, though the specifics of this transition remain unclear. Earlier, al-Sharaa indicated that holding elections could take up to four years, whereas drafting a new constitution may require three.
Al-Sharaa headed the Islamist rebel group that spearheaded the military campaign to oust former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The collapse of the Assad administration has also left vast stockpiles of weapons and military equipment scattered across the country, some of which have been seized by rebel forces.
Meanwhile, negotiations with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-led military coalition controlling a third of the country, have stalled. The SDF has demanded a degree of autonomy within the new national army, a proposal rejected by the transitional government. Tensions between the SDF and the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army continue to escalate in northern Syria, complicating efforts to unify the country.
Russian issues
The new Syrian government also demanded compensation from Russia during its first talks with the Kremlin delegation. However, the Syrian report on the talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov also states that “the dialogue highlighted Russia’s role in rebuilding trust with the Syrian people through concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction and rehabilitation.”
The Syrian statement did not mention two key Russian military bases in Syria, control over which Moscow seeks to retain. Bogdanov told reporters that there was no progress on the issue and that further negotiations were needed.
