Syria to have new govt on March 1, says foreign minister; no clarity on holding elections

Syria will have a new government by next month, the country’s foreign minister said without mentioning the date of elections. The country has been under the governance of interim authorities since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad.

“The government that will be launched March 1 will represent the Syrian people as much as possible and take its diversity into account,” Shaibani said on the sidelines of the World Governments Summit in the United Arab Emirates.

The rebels that helped with the ouster of Assad had taken over the country’s governance by forming an interim government under Mohammad al-Bashir.

Last month, Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group (HTS) that led the rebel offensive that overthrew Assad, was appointed interim president.

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He was assigned to establish a transitional legislature following the dissolution of both the Assad-era parliament and the Baath Party, which had governed Syria for decades.

Meanwhile, HTS and other rebel factions in Syria have been disbanded and their members and fighters will be integrated into a future national force.

In an interview earlier this month, Sharaa said that organising elections could take up to five years.

The new authorities have pledged to hold a national dialogue conference involving all Syrians, but have yet to set a date.

With inputs from AFP