Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s de facto leader, has been appointed as president for the “transitional period”, as reported by state media. This comes seven weeks after leading the rebel offensive that ousted Bashar al-Assad.
Hassan Abdul Ghani, a rebel military commander, also declared the cancellation of Syria’s 2012 constitution and the dissolution of the former regime’s parliament, army, and security agencies, stated by the Sana news agency.
Sharaa, as president, will establish an interim legislative council to assist in governing until a new constitution is ratified, he announced.
He further mentioned that all rebel groups opposing Assad in the 13-year civil war will be disbanded and integrated into state institutions.
These proclamations were made during a meeting in Damascus attended by faction leaders who fought alongside the rebel alliance guided by Sharaa’s group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
HTS, a former al-Qaeda affiliate still recognized as a terrorist organization by various entities, previously dominated the last rebel stronghold in north-western Syria.
Since Assad brutally suppressed a peaceful pro-democracy uprising in 2011, a civil war ensued leading to more than half a million casualties and 12 million people displaced from their homes.
When rebels entered Damascus on 8 December, after defeating the army and advancing from the north in just 12 days, Assad resigned and sought refuge in Russia.
An interim government, led by Mohammed al-Bashir, the former rebel administration head in the north-west, has been entrusted with governing the country until March.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Syrian government urged Russia to address “past mistakes” through war reparations during the initial visit by a top Kremlin delegation post-Assad’s downfall, its strong ally.
Sharaa and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed methods to rebuild trust with Syrians via compensation, reconstruction, and recovery, as reported by Sana.
The Russian foreign ministry expressed steadfast support for Syria’s unity and willingness to aid in its recovery from the civil war.
Following Russian intervention in support of Assad in 2015, the Russian military conducted numerous air strikes on rebel-held territories. A monitoring group based in the UK reports that over 21,000 individuals, including 8,700 civilians, perished in these strikes and other Russian operations.
Subsequent to Assad’s regime collapse, Russia has withdrawn troops and equipment from its bases on Syria’s Mediterranean coast – Hmeimim airbase near Latakia and the naval base in Tartous.
Recent satellite images analyzed by BBC Verify indicated the presence of two Russian warships at Tartous, hinting at an evacuation of the facility commencing.
Russia, however, aims to maintain both bases to secure a vital foothold in the eastern Mediterranean.