Ahmad al-Sharaa named 'transitional president' of Syria, constitution dissolved
The de facto government, led by former Al-Qaeda and ISIS warlords, also dissolved the People's Assembly along with all security services and armed factions
The Military Operations Department of the de facto government in Syria announcedon 29 January that Ahmad al-Sharaa, formerly known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, will assume the presidency of the country during a “transitional phase.”
The western-backed officials also announced the suspension of the country's constitution and the dissolution of the previously ruling Baath Party, the People's Assembly, the national army, security services, and all armed factions – including Sharaa's own Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former branch of Al-Qaeda in Syria.
“All military factions and political and civil revolutionary bodies are dissolved and integrated into state institutions,” SANA cited longtime HTS spokesperson Abdel Ghani as saying. He also announced"the formation of a new security apparatus that preserves citizens' security" and the “reconstruction of the Syrian army.”
Sharaa was also tasked with forming “a temporary legislative council ... until a permanent constitution for the country is decided.”
The announcements came during a meeting in Damascus attended by commanders of extremist armed groups that fought alongside HTS to remove the government of president Bashar al-Assad from power last December with the support of Turkiye.
Following the armed coup, HTS set up a transitional authority in Syria, whose elements have been waging a violent campaign against the Alawite community and other minority groups. Extrajudicial killings and kidnappings have become the norm in several regions.
Sources recently disclosed to The Cradle that Sharaa is well-informed about the massacres and killings of Alawite and Shia citizens. One source reported that Sharaa told him point blank that he considers this violence to be a legitimate act of revenge that will go unchecked for the foreseeable future. “This (the killings) is normal and may continue for two or three years," Sharaa reportedly said.
Sharaa and his acolytes are expected to hand over power to a new government in March, but it is unclear how the transition will happen. Moreover, in an interview with Al Arabiya last month, Sharaa said that holding elections could take up to four years, and rewriting the country’s constitution could take three.