A litany of announcements came from Damascus on Wednesday as its de facto leadership aims to maintain power and rebuild Syria from the ground up.
The constitution has been suspended, parliament has been dissolved, rebel fighting factions have disbanded, and Syria’s leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has been named the interim president, the Military Operations Command announced.
Sharaa, formerly known as al-Qaeda-aligned Abu Mohammed al-Jolani in the rebel stronghold of Idlib province, led the advance on the Syrian capital less than two months ago that overthrew the government of Bashar al-Assad.
“He will carry out the duties of the presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic and represent it in international forums,” Colonel Hassan Abdel Ghani, the spokesperson for the Military Operations Command, said.
That role is meant for a temporary period toward a transition for the country.
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The latest round of proclamations came from “The Conference for Announcing the Victory of the Syrian Revolution” in the capital, in front of a crowd of interim ministers appointed by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the rebel faction led by Sharaa.
As of Wednesday, HTS has been disbanded, Sharaa said, as were other rebel factions who will now form a unified national Syrian army.
The Military Operations Command also said that Assad’s Baath Party and his state security apparatus – highly feared among Syrians for decades – were also dissolved.
The National Progressive Front, a group aligned with the Baath Party, was also shut down, and its assets were transferred over to the state. No political parties friendly to Assad’s rule are now allowed to re-form.
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In an interview with Saudi broadcaster Al-Arabiya last month, Sharaa said it could take up to four years before Syrians can elect their own president.
He said he would focus on enforcing law and order in a liberated Syria before handing over control to a transitional government, adding that he merely leads a caretaker government for the time being.
“The current phase is preliminary to a longer interim government,” Sharaa said.
He added that a national dialogue conference would be convened with participants from across Syrian society, and specialised committees would be formed.
“The process of writing the constitution may take about three years,” Sharaa said, and “any valid elections will require a comprehensive population census.”
