Syria’s Ahmed al-Sharaa named president for transitional period

Al-Sharaa was also authorised to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase, state media reports.

Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has been named president for a transitional period, the Syrian state news agency (SANA) has reported.

Al-Sharaa was also authorised to form a temporary legislative council for the transitional phase which will carry out its task until a new constitution is adopted, SANA reported on Wednesday, citing military official Hassan Abdel Ghani.

Al-Sharaa is the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former opposition armed group that led the lightning offensive that toppled President Bashar al-Assad last month.

Since Assad’s removal, HTS has become the de facto ruling party and has set up an interim government largely composed of officials from the local government it previously ran in rebel-held Idlib province.

Abdel Ghani also announced the dissolution of the armed factions in the country, which he said would be absorbed into state institutions.