Damascus [Syria], January 30: A coalition led by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group overthrew al-Assad on December 8, 2024, in a lightning offensive that ended five decades of Assad family rule. Following al-Assad's ouster, a transitional government was established to run Syria until March 1.
On January 29, Mr. Sharaa was appointed "as the country's president during the transition period," according to state news agency SANA, quoting army officer Hassan Abdel Ghani. Mr. Abdel Ghani added that Mr. Sharaa would also represent the country "at international forums."
In addition, Mr. Sharaa was tasked with forming "an interim legislative council. until a permanent constitution for the country is decided," according to SANA. The news agency also reported that Mr. Assad's parliament had been dissolved and the 2012 constitution had been suspended.
The announcements were made at a conference on the "victory of the Syrian revolution", attended by Mr Sharaa, Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and heads of armed factions.
Also at the conference, Mr. Abdel Ghani announced the dissolution of all armed groups involved in the overthrow of Mr. al-Assad, as well as the army and security agencies of the previous government. He also announced the establishment of a new security apparatus to "protect the security of the people" and "rebuild the Syrian army".
For his part, interim President Sharaa outlined Syria's priorities as "filling the power vacuum, maintaining civil peace, rebuilding state institutions and working to build a development-oriented economy." He added: "The tasks of the victors are heavy and their responsibilities are great."
Last month, Mr Sharaa said it could take four years before elections could be held and up to three years to rewrite Syria's constitution.
Syrian officials have previously spoken of a national dialogue conference that would bring together Syrians from all political backgrounds, but SANA on January 29 did not mention any such conference.
HTS, which originated from Al-Qaeda's Syrian branch, is considered a terrorist organization by many governments, including the United States. However, since al-Assad was ousted, a series of Western diplomats have visited Syria to call for a comprehensive transition, according to AFP.
Before Mr al-Assad was overthrown, Syria had been in the throes of a civil war for about 13 years. That conflict had killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions more.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper