Syrian transitional government

Not to be confused with Syrian Interim Government.

After the fall of the Assad regime and exile of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, a Syrian transitional government was installed in Damascus by the Syrian opposition. On 8 December 2024, hours after the opposition victory, Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali, the outgoing prime minister of Syria, agreed to lead the transitional government in a caretaker capacity. He transferred power to Mohammed al-Bashir, prime minister of the Syrian Salvation Government, the next day. On 10 December, the transitional administration announced that it will last until 1 March 2025, with all ministers from the Syrian Salvation Government taking up their same posts in the new transitional government.

Syrian transitional government
De facto coat of arms of Syria
Overview
Established	8 December 2024 (2024-12-08)
State	Syria
Leader	President: Vacant Prime Minister: Mohammed al-Bashir
Ministries	Government ministries of Syria
Headquarters	Damascus
Website	https://www.pministry.gov.sy/

Formation

Abu Mohammad al-Julani, leader of the Syrian Salvation Government, stated on Telegram that Syrian public institutions would not immediately be taken over by force, and would instead temporarily be held by Syrian Prime Minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali until the full political transition was completed. Al-Jalali announced in a social media video that he planned to stay in Damascus and cooperate with the Syrian people, while expressing hope that Syria could become "a normal country" and begin to engage in diplomacy with other nations. Jalali also expressed his readiness to "extend its hand" to the opposition.

Hadi al-Bahra, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, said that an 18-month transitional period was needed to establish "a safe, neutral, and quiet environment" for free elections. This period includes six months to draft a new constitution. This transition, according to al-Bahra, should be in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.

The Prime Minister of the Syrian Salvation Government, Mohammed Al-Bashir, was tasked on 9 December with forming the new Syrian government during the transitional period. He will hold this position until 1 March 2025. The ministers of the Salvation Government will continue their duties in the transitional government.

Policies

Economic reforms

Minister for the Economy Basil Abdul Aziz stated that there were plans to shift from a more state-controlled economic model towards a stronger free-market model, with a liberalisation of import-export controls. Registration with the Damascus Chambers of Commerce would be considered sufficient authorisation to import goods and the previously required approvals and permissions from the Central Bank of Syria would no longer be needed. Business leaders interviewed by Reuters described the promised changes as encouraging. The government stated that reconstruction investment was to be a priority, with civil war damage estimated in the tens of billions of dollars. A source from the central bank and two commercial bank sources, speaking with Reuters, said that on 10 December banks would reopen and that staff had been asked to return. The Ministry of Oil and Mineral Resources told employes to return to work the same day, with Deutsche Welle stating that the ministry had added "protection would be provided to ensure their safety".

Administrative reforms

The transitional government began implementing administrative reforms immediately after taking control of Damascus. Mohammad Yasser Ghazal, a technocrat from the Syrian Salvation Government, was appointed to oversee the restructuring of the Damascus governorate, with plans to serve as city council president. The new administration began reviewing departmental functions and addressing issues of bureaucratic inefficiency inherited from the previous government.

Initial reforms focused on streamlining government services and addressing corruption. The transitional authorities found numerous inefficient departments and positions, including redundant administrative divisions. The new government emphasized digitization of services, citing the example of ID processing which they had already implemented in Idlib. They also began addressing issues of phantom jobs and systemic corruption that had developed under the previous administration, where government employees had been receiving approximately $25 per month in salary.

The administrative transition included meetings between outgoing department heads and new officials to understand and reform existing bureaucratic structures. Prime Minister Mohammed al-Bashir convened meetings between SSG ministers and former regime officials to facilitate the transfer of power to the new caretaker government.

Members

See also: Cabinet of Syria and Syrian Salvation Government § Seventh cabinet (2024)

Portfolio	Incumbent	Faction		Since
Prime Minister	Mohammed al-Bashir		HTS/SSG	10 December 2024
Interior	Mohammad Abdul Rahman		HTS/SSG
Justice	Shadi al-Waisi		HTS/SSG
Economy	Basel Abdul Aziz		HTS/SSG
Agriculture and Irrigation	Mohammad al-Ahmad		HTS/SSG
Information	Mohammad al-Omar		HTS/SSG
Awqaf (Religious Endowments)	Hussam Haj Hussein		HTS/SSG
Health	Mazen Dukhan		HTS/SSG
Education	Nazir al-Qadri		HTS/SSG
Higher Education	Abdel Moneim Abdel Hafez		HTS/SSG
Development	Fadi al-Qassem		HTS/SSG
Local Administration and Environment	Mohamed Muslim		HTS/SSG

See also

• Politics of Syria
• Syrian civil war
• National Coalition of Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces
• Syrian Interim Government
• Syrian Salvation Government
• Foreign relations of the Syrian opposition
• International recognition of the Syrian National Council

External links

• Official Government Page