Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani waits to welcome the senior Ukrainian delegation led by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, after the ousting of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 30, 2024. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
REUTERS | Published January 30, 2025
Sharaa has been de facto leader since Assad toppled
Decisions announced at Damascus meeting
Analyst: Sharaa formalizes status as ‘strongman ruler’
DAMASCUS, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared president for a transitional phase on Wednesday, tightening his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad.
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Sharaa was also empowered to form a temporary legislative council for a transitional period and the Syrian constitution was suspended, according to an announcement made by the military command which led the offensive against Assad.
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The decisions emerged from a meeting of military commanders who took part in the assault, a campaign spearheaded by Sharaa’s Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group – a former al Qaeda affiliate.
Addressing the conference, Sharaa said the first priority in Syria was to fill a vacuum in government “in a legitimate and legal way”.
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He also said civil peace must be preserved through transitional justice and preventing displays of revenge, that state institutions – foremost among them military and security forces – be rebuilt, and that economic infrastructure be developed.
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Sharaa has pledged to embark on a political transition including a national conference, an inclusive government, and eventual elections, which he has said could take up to four years to hold.
Wednesday’s announcement did not say when the new legislative body might be picked, or provide any new details for a timeline for the transition.
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Fawaz Gerges, Professor of International Relations at the London School of Economics, said the declaration had “formalized his status as the strongman ruler”. “My take is that HTS and Sharaa intend to consolidate single-party Islamist rule.”
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HTS emerged from the Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s affiliate in the Syrian civil war, until it cut ties in 2016
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QATAR WELCOMES STEPS
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The declaration announced that “Sharaa has assumed the presidency of the country in the transitional phase” and would “carry out the duties of the presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic, and represent it in international forums”.
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The new legislative council would carry out its tasks until a new constitution is adopted. The parliament elected under Assad last year was formally dissolved.
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The declaration also reiterated previous steps dissolving Assad’s Baath Party and his state security apparatus, and said that rebel groups which fought him during 13 years of war were to be dissolved and merged into the state.
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The announcements came at a meeting declared “The Conference for Announcing the Victory of the Syrian Revolution”. It was attended by ministers from the interim government appointed by HTS in December, and was not publicly announced ahead of time.
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Qatar, which is backs the new administration, issued a statement after the declaration welcoming “moves to restructure the Syrian state and boost consensus and unity among all its parties”.
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The leadership of Saudi Arabia, another Arab Gulf state that had offered support to Syria’s new rulers, also congratulated Sharaa.
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Saudi King Salman wished Sharaa “success in leading Syria towards a prosperous future that achieves the aspirations of the brotherly Syrian people,” Saudi state news agency SPA said.
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Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center said the announcement was a raw translation of Sharaa’s newfound power and military control of great parts of Syria including the capital”.
RELATED: President al-Sharaa and no more Baath party: What else has Syria announced?
Ahmed al-Sharaa has been Syria’s de facto leader since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad in December.
Syria’s new authorities have announced that Ahmed al-Sharaa has been appointed interim president and is tasked with forming a transitional legislature, state media reported [SANA via AFP]
AL JAZEERA | Published January 30, 2025
Nearly two months after the ouster of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, former opposition commander and Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named president for a transitional period, Syrian state media reported.
“It’s a monumental day,” said Al Jazeera’s correspondent Osama Bin Javaid, reporting from Damascus. “It gives more clarity for the way forward for this country because there was ambiguity on what this new administration was going to look like.”
What was announced today?
The Syrian state news agency SANA reported on Wednesday, citing commander Hassan Abdel Ghani, that al-Sharaa has been named president until elections are held.
Al-Sharaa was also authorised to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase, which will carry out its task until a new constitution is adopted.
All military factions in Syria, including Syria’s army and security forces, as well as al-Sharaa’s own Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), were dissolved, as was the country’s constitution, and al-Assad’s Baath party – which had ruled the country for more than 60 years prior to al-Assad’s overthrow.
The announcements emerged during a meeting in Damascus attended by commanders of armed groups that fought alongside al-Sharaa’s HTS to oust al-Assad from power on December 8.
“[Al-Sharaa] is trying to reassure them that they are going to be not just represented but also will be part of a new Syria,” Bin Javaid said.
When will Syria hold elections?
We don’t know how long the transitional period will be, as there is currently no timetable for Syria to hold elections.
Al-Sharaa has previously said that organising an election in the war-ravaged country could take as long as four years.
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