Syria's Sharaa declared president for transition, consolidating his power
Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa was declared president for a transitional phase and the constitution suspended on Wednesday, in moves that tighten his hold on power less than two months after he led a campaign that toppled Bashar al-Assad.
Sharaa
was also empowered to form a temporary legislative council for a
transitional period, according to the announcements made during a
meeting of armed groups in Damascus.
Sharaa, whose group was once an al-Qaeda affiliate, has been de facto leader since leading the offensive that deposed Assad after more than 13 years of civil war.
The
decisions, which emerged from a conference that was not publicly
announced, did not say when the new legislative body might be picked, or
provide any new details for a timeline for the transition.
Sharaa
has pledged to embark on a political transition including a national
conference, an inclusive government, and eventual elections, which he
has said could take up to four years to hold.
"We
announce that Leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has assumed the presidency of the
country in the transitional phase," said Colonel Hassan Abdel Ghani,
spokesperson for the Military Operations Command, which led the
offensive that toppled Assad.
"He
will carry out the duties of the presidency of the Syrian Arab
Republic, and represent it in international forums," he said in
statements reported by state news agency SANA.
The new legislative council would carry out its tasks until a new constitution is adopted. The parliament elected under Assad last year was formally dissolved.
Reiterating
previously declared decisions, Abdel Ghani also announced the
dissolution of Assad's Baath Party and his state security apparatus, and
that rebel groups which fought him were to be dissolved and merged into
the state.
The
announcements came at a meeting declared "The Conference for Announcing
the Victory of the Syrian Revolution". It was attended by ministers
from the interim government appointed by Sharaa's Islamist Hayat Tahrir
al-Sham group in December.
Mohanad
Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center said the "announcement is a
raw translation of his newfound power and military control of great
parts of Syria including the capital".
It "does not reflect the political, religious and ethnic diversity of Syria", he added.
Apparent celebratory gunfire could be heard in central Damascus soon after the announcements.
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