Ahmed al-Sharaa named Syria's transitional president

Ahmad Shala, the de facto leader of Syria, has announced his appointment as president for a "transitional period." According to state media, this comes seven weeks after a rebel offensive he led overthrew Bashar al-Assad. Simultaneously, rebel military commander Hassan Abdul Ghani declared the abrogation of the 2012 Syrian constitution and the dissolution of the former regime’s parliament, army, and security apparatus.

Shala stated that, as president, he will form a temporary legislative council to assist in governing the country until a new constitution is approved. He also added that all rebel groups that fought against Assad during the 13-year civil war will be dissolved and integrated into state institutions. These announcements were made at an event in Damascus on Wednesday, attended by commanders from various factions fighting alongside Shala's Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The event was themed "Conference to Announce the Victory of the Syrian Revolution."

Speaking to the commanders while dressed in military attire, Shala emphasized that the new leadership in Syria faces "arduous tasks and great responsibilities." He stated that the first priority is to fill the power vacuum in a "legitimate and legal manner." Secondly, he added that civil peace should be maintained by "seeking transitional justice and preventing revenge attacks." He also called for the reconstruction of state institutions, particularly the army, security apparatus, and police, as well as economic infrastructure.

In an interview with Al-Araby TV in late December, Shala indicated that new elections might take up to four years to organize. He explained that a new census is needed first, "which will take time," and that drafting a new constitution would also take up to three years to complete. Shala also reiterated in the interview his plans to convene a "national dialogue conference" which he said would "bring together all components of Syrian society."

In 2011, Assad's brutal crackdown on a peaceful pro-democracy uprising sparked a civil war that has left more than 500,000 people dead and another 12 million displaced from their homes. HTS—a former al-Qaeda affiliate that remains designated as a terrorist organization by the UN, the US, the EU, and the UK—previously controlled the last rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria. Assad resigned as president and fled to Russia on December 8, after rebels routed his forces in just 12 days and swept down from the north into Damascus.

An interim government led by Mohammad Bashir, the head of the former rebel government in the northwest, has been tasked with running the country until March. Earlier on Tuesday, the Syrian government, during the first visit by a senior Kremlin delegation since Assad’s downfall, called on Russia to address "past wrongs" by paying war reparations. According to the Syrian News Agency, Shala and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov discussed “rebuilding trust with the Syrian people through concrete measures such as compensation, reconstruction, and restoration.” The Russian Foreign Ministry stated that its delegation expressed “unwavering support” for Syria’s unity and readiness to assist its recovery from the civil war.

Russian forces carried out tens of thousands of airstrikes on rebel-held areas after intervening in the conflict in 2015 to support Assad. A UK-based monitoring group says these airstrikes and other Russian actions have resulted in over 21,000 deaths, including 8,700 civilians. Since the fall of the Assad regime, Russia has been withdrawing troops and weapons from its two bases on Syria’s Mediterranean coast—the Khmeimim airbase near Latakia and the naval facility at Tartus.

Recent satellite images analyzed by the BBC's verification unit show two Russian warships docked in Tartus, which experts say indicates that the evacuation of the facility has begun. However, Russia is believed to be seeking to retain both bases, which give it a crucial strategic foothold in the eastern Mediterranean. Following the Russian delegation's visit to Damascus, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow: "It was an important visit, and the contacts are important because it is necessary to establish and maintain a constant dialogue with Syria."

When asked about reports that the Syrian government had demanded Assad's extradition in return for war reparations, he replied: "I will not comment on this in any way. We will continue further dialogue with the Syrian authorities." In his interview with Al-Araby TV, Shala noted that “deep strategic interests exist between Russia and Syria,” and said he did not want Russia to leave “in a way that would harm its relationship with our country.” “All of Syria’s weapons come from Russia, and many of our power plants are managed by Russian experts,” he added.