Syria has revealed the line-up of its new interim government, which includes members of religious minorities and early veterans of the 2011 uprising against Bashar al-Assad, report the Middle East Eye.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced 23 new ministers on March 29, composing a government intended to rule for five years before a constitution is settled and elections are held.
YarubBadr, a member of the Alawite religious community, was named transportation minister, while AmgadBadr, who is Druze, and Hind Kabawat, a Christian, were announced to lead the agriculture ministry and social affairs and labour ministry, respectively.
“We are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national process, and the formation of a new government today is a declaration of our common will to build a new state,” Sharaa said in a speech during the ceremony announcing the government.
“We will seek to rehabilitate industry, protect national products and create an encouraging environment for investment in all sectors. We will also strive to reform the monetary situation, strengthen the Syrian currency and prevent manipulation.”
Since taking over in Dec., Sharaa and his allies have pledged to roll back the state’s involvement in the economy, pledging privatisation and “a competitive free-market economy” in an attempt to crack down on corruption and bolster the country’s economic growth even as it still suffers from punishing sanctions.