Syria has put in place a new government that includes 22 ministers from a variety of backgrounds and is supposed to help Damascus address the challenges of running a state in transition.
Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power after the fall of the Assad regime in December, and was officially named president of the transition government in late January.
He has been moving quickly to try to unify Syria after a decade and a half of civil war, which began in 2011, but Sharaa faces many challenges. He was the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a group that was largely confined to Idlib before it launched an offensive in late November 2024.
His group was known for its religious Islamic conservativism and its former connections to al-Qaeda. Some have been concerned that Syria could turn into a country that resembles other states led by extremists, such as Afghanistan under the Taliban.
However, Sharaa has gone a long way to play down these concerns. He made a deal with the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces and has also attempted to listen to minorities, such as Druze and Shi’ites.
Not everything has been smooth, though. A massacre of Alawites in Latakia in early March led to concerns that many people’s worst fears would be realized.
However, Sharaa’s new government, announced on Saturday, illustrates accommodation and compromise.
“Sharaa said on Saturday that at a decisive moment in the history of our nation, which requires us to stand together and be united, ‘I stand before you today, addressing each and every one of you, carrying the hopes of every one of you as we witness the birth of a new era,’” state media reported.
“We are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national process, and the formation of a new government today is a declaration of our common will to build a new state,” the president said. “Our plan for the future will rely on a number of axes, including preserving and developing human resources and seeking to attract Syrian human resources from abroad.”
The goal of the new government now is to focus on everyday issues, such as healthcare and making sure people have electricity. “We will seek to rehabilitate industry, protect national products, and create an encouraging environment for investment in all sectors. We will also strive to reform the monetary situation, strengthen the Syrian currency, and prevent manipulation,” he added.
IN ADDITION to the usual ministries, the country has established the Emergency and Disaster Management Ministry to address any challenges or disasters that may confront the nation. To run this new ministry, Syria is tapping into the work the White Helmets volunteer organization did during the war to save people.
“We will pay great attention to keeping pace with technological developments, artificial intelligence programs, and digital transformation. We will begin by building the necessary infrastructure for this, including training personnel, attracting expertise, research centers, and a market that encourages this goal,” the president said.
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani praised the new ministers who had been chosen. Shaibani was born in 1987, educated in Turkey, and was a key member of al-Nusra Front before it became HTS.
“We will restore Syria’s rightful army after the former deposed regime defamed its reputation,” Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra said. Qasra was also a key member of HTS.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab, who was born in 1987, spent time fighting against the US in Iraq before rising through the ranks of HTS to lead its intelligence service.
Mohammed al-Bashir, the energy minister, was born in 1983 and has a degree from a university in Idlib. He served as part of the HTS government in Idlib, often referred to as the Syrian Salvation Government. Local Administration and Environment Minister Mohammad Anjarani also previously served in the Salvation Government.
Public Works and Housing Minister Mustafa Abd al-Razak, born in 1989 and educated in Aleppo, also rose up under the Salvation Government, as did Mohammad Samih Hamid, the head of the new Sports and Youth Ministry.
Administrative Development Minister Mohammad Skaf was born in 1990 and grew up in Idlib. He is the youngest minister in the new government.
Nidal al-Shaar, the new economy minister, served briefly in Bashar al-Assad’s government in 2011 and 2012. Born in Aleppo, he was a professor of economics at the city’s university and has a degree from George Washington University.
He is not the only former Assad employee. Transportation Minister Yaroub Badr served the Assad regime in the same role from 2006-2011. Born in Latakia, he holds a PhD from the École nationale des ponts et chaussées in Paris and was a professor of engineering. Badr is an Alawite, according to Arab News.
The new justice minister, Mazhar al-Wais, has a background in Islamic jurisprudence, as does the new endowments minister, Mohammad Abu al-Khair Shukri. Shukri was born in 1961 and educated in Beirut and has a background in teaching and activism. Wais is from Deir Ezzor in central Syria.
THERE IS one woman among the new ministers, Work and Social Affairs Minister Hind Kabawat. She is a Christian and was the director of Interfaith Peacebuilding at George Mason University. She also worked at the US Institute of Peace and lived in Toronto for some time.
Other members of minority groups have been chosen to lead ministries. Agriculture Minister Amjad Badr is a Druze from Suwayda. One social media post said the new higher education minister, Marwan al-Halabi, is also Druze. He was previously the head of the Department of Anatomy, Histology, Embryology, and Genetics at Damascus University, according to a post by Aaron Zelin, an expert on Syria.
A separate post online said that Education Minister Mohammad Abd al-Rahman Tarko is Kurdish. He was born in 1978 and received a PhD from the University of Leipzig in Germany. More details were not clear.
Finance Minister Mohammad Yusir Barneiah was born in 1967 and educated in the US. Health Minister Musaab Nazal al-Ali was educated in Homs and Aleppo and worked in Germany. He is from Deir Ezzor and replaced the brother of Sharaa, who had been the first health minister in the transition government, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Emergency and Disasters Minister Raed al-Saleh was born in 1984 and served as a key figure in the White Helmets. His appointment and the creation of this ministry illustrate a unique outcome of the Syrian revolution and how those who played a key role in civil defense have risen to the top.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Abdulsalam Haykal was born in 1978 and spent time in the UAE.
The new government also includes Culture Minister Mohammad Saleh, who was born in 1985 and educated in the UK, and Tourism Minister Mazen al-Salhani, who lived in the US and Canada and is a businessman born in 1979. The new information minister, Hamza Mustafa, was born in 1985 and has a PhD from the University of Exeter in the UK.
Diverse backgrounds
Overall, the new ministers come from a variety of backgrounds. Many are young, and several have PhDs. It is a diverse group, including many Western-educated men and people who were active in HTS or lived under its government in Idlib. Seven ministers served under HTS, while nine of the new ministers are considered independent or technocrats.
Many of the new ministers also come from different backgrounds in business and other fields. It seems that most of them come from the main populated areas of western Syria, although Wais and the new health minister come from Deir Ezzor in central Syria.