Syrian transitional government

Not to be confused with Syrian Interim Government or Syrian Salvation Government.

Syrian transitional government
De facto coat of arms used by the transitional government
Overview
Established	8 December 2024 (2024-12-08)
State	Syria
Leader	Prime Minister: Mohammed al-Bashir
Ministries	Government ministries of Syria
Headquarters	Damascus
Website	www.pministry.gov.sy

The Syrian transitional government is a provisional government established in December 2024 in Damascus by the Syrian opposition. This came after the fall of the Assad regime and the exile of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

On 8 December 2024, hours after the opposition victory, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, the outgoing prime minister of Syria, agreed to lead the transitional government in a caretaker capacity. He transferred power to Mohammed al-Bashir, prime minister of the Syrian Salvation Government, the next day. On 10 December, the transitional administration announced that it will last until 1 March 2025, with all ministers from the Syrian Salvation Government taking up their same posts in the new transitional government.

Background

See also: Syrian civil war, Arab spring, and Fall of the Assad regime

Formation

Flags used by the government
Top: Syrian revolutionary flag
Bottom: Tawhid flag

Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of the Syrian Salvation Government, stated on Telegram that Syrian public institutions would not immediately be taken over by force, and would instead temporarily be held by Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali until the full political transition was completed. Al-Jalali announced in a social media video that he planned to stay in Damascus and cooperate with the Syrian people, while expressing hope that Syria could become "a normal country" and begin to engage in diplomacy with other nations. Jalali also expressed his readiness to "extend its hand" to the opposition.

Hadi al-Bahra, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, said that an 18-month transitional period was needed to establish "a safe, neutral, and quiet environment" for free elections. This period includes six months to draft a new constitution. This transition, according to al-Bahra, should be in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.

The Prime Minister of the Syrian Salvation Government, Mohammed Al-Bashir, was tasked on 9 December with forming the new Syrian government during the transitional period. He will hold this position until 1 March 2025. The ministers of the Salvation Government will continue their duties in the transitional government.

Policies

Economic reforms

Minister for the Economy Basil Abdul Aziz stated that there were plans to shift from a more state-controlled economic model towards a stronger free-market model, with a liberalisation of import-export controls. Registration with the Damascus Chambers of Commerce would be considered sufficient authorisation to import goods and the previously required approvals and permissions from the Central Bank of Syria would no longer be needed. Business leaders interviewed by Reuters described the promised changes as encouraging. The government stated that reconstruction investment was to be a priority, with civil war damage estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. A source from the central bank and two commercial bank sources, speaking with Reuters, said that on 10 December banks would reopen and that staff had been asked to return. The Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources told employes to return to work the same day, with Deutsche Welle stating that the ministry had added "protection would be provided to ensure their safety".

The transitional ministry of transport said that Syrian airspace would be reopened to air traffic and added that it would announce the resumption of Damascus and Aleppo international airports.

Administrative reforms

The transitional government began implementing administrative reforms immediately after taking control of Damascus. Mohammad Yasser Ghazal, a technocrat from the Syrian Salvation Government, was appointed to oversee the restructuring of the Damascus governorate, with plans to serve as city council president. The new administration began reviewing departmental functions and addressing issues of bureaucratic inefficiency inherited from the previous government.

Initial reforms focused on streamlining government services and addressing corruption. The transitional authorities found numerous inefficient departments and positions, including redundant administrative divisions. The new government emphasized the digitization of services, citing the example of ID processing, which they had already implemented in Idlib. They also began addressing issues of phantom jobs and systemic corruption that had developed under the previous administration, where government employees had been receiving approximately $25 per month in salary; which are to be increased to SSG government minimum wages of $100.

The administrative transition included meetings between outgoing department heads and new officials to understand and reform existing bureaucratic structures. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir convened meetings between SSG ministers and former regime officials to facilitate the transfer of power to the new caretaker government. The transitional government includes numerous senior officials from Idlib governorate, which Reuters said raised concerns over inclusiveness from opposition sources. Policemen from Idlib were brought to Damascus to direct traffic, while on 13 December the transitional government's Department of Military Operations declared a curfew in Homs Governorate.

Constitutional transition

A spokesman of the transitional government speaking to Agence France-Presse said that during the government's three-month term the constitution and parliament would remain suspended. Also adding that a 'judicial and human rights committee' would be established to review the constitution prior to making amendments. Al-Sharaa stated to Al Jazeera that the choices of governance will be discussed among a group of experts; then, public elections would be held to make the final choice.

Foreign affairs

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the governments of Egypt, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman, Turkey, Italy and France resumed diplomatic missions in Syria. The new government met diplomats from France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the European Union in the days immediately following the fall of the al-Assad regime.

Defense

Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Bashir has said the defense ministry would be restructured using former rebel factions and officers who defected from Assad’s army.

Members

See also: Cabinet of Syria and Syrian Salvation Government § Seventh cabinet (2024)

Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad al-Bashir told Al Jazeera that "for the time being" ministers from the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) would head national ministries.

Portfolio	Incumbent	Faction		Since
Prime Minister	Mohammed al-Bashir		HTS/SSG	10 December 2024
Interior	Mohammad Abdul Rahman		HTS/SSG
Justice	Shadi al-Waisi		HTS/SSG
Economy	Basel Abdul Aziz		HTS/SSG
Agriculture and Irrigation	Mohammad al-Ahmad		HTS/SSG
Information	Mohammad al-Omar		HTS/SSG
Awqaf (Religious Endowments)	Hussam Haj Hussein		HTS/SSG
Health	Mazen Dukhan		HTS/SSG
Education	Nazir al-Qadri		HTS/SSG
Higher Education	Abdel Moneim Abdel Hafez		HTS/SSG
Development	Fadi al-Qassem		HTS/SSG
Local Administration and Environment	Mohamed Muslim		HTS/SSG
Finance	Riad Abd El Raouf (acting)		Independent	23 September 2024

Cooperation with other Syrian authorities

As of 11 December 2024, leaders of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the military forces of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, were preparing for "negotiations that would create a broader-based Syrian government that is not under al-Julani's control". Leaders of the Southern Operations Room met with al-Julani on 11 December and expressed interest in "coordination", a "unified effort" and "cooperation", without stating that they would support the HTS transitional government.

See also

• Politics of Syria
• Syrian civil war
• National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
• Syrian Interim Government
• Syrian Salvation Government
• Foreign relations of the Syrian opposition
• International recognition of the Syrian National Council

External links

• Official Government Page