Syria's Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, announced on Wednesday that a new government would take over next month, reported the AFP news agency. This move comes after the overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad in December and the formation of an interim cabinet. Shaibani emphasized the importance of representation, saying, "The government that will be launched March 1 will represent the Syrian people as much as possible and take its diversity into account." He also stressed the need for inclusivity, noting that "changes and adjustments we made over the past two months on the political roadmap were derived and inspired by consultations with the diaspora and civil society." The new authorities have pledged to protect minority rights and ensure women's representation. However, activists have expressed concerns about these issues. Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) that spearheaded the overthrow of Assad, was appointed interim president of Syria at the end of January. He later said that it would take between four and five years to organize presidential elections, marking the first time he has provided a timeline since assuming office. "I estimate that the period will be between four to five years until elections because there is a need for a vast infrastructure, and this infrastructure needs to be re-established and establishing it needs time," Sharaa told Syrian TV in an interview. He emphasized that authorities must first consolidate data on Syria’s population to update electoral records, warning that "without this matter, any elections held will be doubted." In December, Sharaa estimated that drafting a new constitution could take up to three years. HTS was once a part of Al-Nusra Front, which is Syria’s Al-Qaeda branch, and is labeled a terrorist organization by many Western governments. Related articles: Al-Julani orders inquiry into massacres in Syria Syria’s interim leader signs Islamist constitution IDF confirms: IAF targets Islamic Jihad headquarters in Damascus Israel sends 10,000 aid packages to the Druze in Syria HTS later broke off from Al-Nusra Front and prioritized combatting Al-Qaeda as well as the Islamic State (ISIS), of which Sharaa was critical , describing its self-proclaimed caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq as "illegitimate". Shortly after Sharaa came to power, the US decided to remove the $10 million bounty on his head, but did not lift the sanctions that have been imposed on Syria during its civil war.
