Syria's leadership is expected to announce a new technocratic government on Saturday evening that will address concerns about a lack of representation for the country's diverse ethnic and religious minorities in the running of the country after the dictator Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December.
Interim President Ahmad Al Shara appointed close aides from his Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group, which led the rebel offensive that ousted Mr Al Assad, to key positions after leading the rebel offensive that ended more than 50 years of Assad family rule.
“The main challenge is how inclusive is the government will be and whether women and religious minorities will be genuinely represented. This is a test for the west. But beyond the ministers, what also matters is who is pulling the strings behind the scenes. The senior appointees, they are the ones to focus on,” Benjamin Fève, a researcher at Karam Shaar Advisory Limited, told The National.
Mr Al Shara's administration has sought support from countries in the region and the West to help rebuild the country after more than 13 years of civil war that has left its economy in ruins. Both the US and EU have highlighted the importance of Syria having an inclusive government that involves religious and ethnic communities, women and “peaceful opposition forces”.
“This is important because it could unlock support from western countries,” added Mr Fève.
The government formation is also critical in terms of power and legitimacy. Since the Assad regime was toppled in a lightning offensive that ended over 50 years of brutal family rule, the country had been run by a caretaker government led by HTS.
“Now, we’re moving from a caretaker government – which took power following a coup – to a transitional one. That shift is important in terms of prerogatives: it gives the new government more legitimacy, since it’s appointed by the president based on the new interim constitution, and greater power to shape policy,” Mr Fève explained.
Inclusivity
There were concerns regarding inclusivity after a Syrian National Dialogue Conference convened by Mr Al Shara last month to discuss the country's future.
“The conference was not adequately representative,” Nicholas Lyall, senior researcher and political affairs specialist at Trends Research and Advisory in Abu Dhabi, wrote in The National. “Young people were underrepresented, the leaders of various armed groups were absent, and the Kurdish official leadership from the Kurdish-majority areas of north-east Syria were also absent.”
Since then, Mr Al Shara and the leader of the Kurdish-led administration in the north-east, Mazloum Aabdi, have reached an agreement that would integrate the group into state institutions and guarantee Kurdish rights.
Syria's significant Druze minority also reached an agreement with the Damascus government to integrate the sect's militias into the state apparatus, although some of its leaders have expressed reservations over the extremist background of the interim president and HTS, which was formerly affiliated to al Qaeda.
In early March, the country was shaken by sectarian violence in which hundreds of Alawites were killed in revenge attacks after the new leadership attempted to quell a pro-Assad insurgency, raising further concerns over the protection of minorities.
Mr Al Shar earlier this month signed a constitutional declaration that will be in force throughout a five-year transitional period. It provides for Islamic jurisprudence to be “the main source” of legislation, while affirming the state's commitment to the unity of the land and people, and respect for the country's cultures, according to the drafting committee.
On Friday, Mr Al Shara appointed a long-time critic of Mr Al Assad, Osama Al Rifai, as Grand Mufti of Syria, calling him “one of the finest scholars”.
In 2021, the now deposed president had issued a decree eliminating the post of Grand Mufti and expanding the powers of a government ministry overseeing religious affairs.
