Hoping to convince the Western countries that the new Syrian government is inclusive, Ahmed al-Sharaa has roped in members of minority communities in his five-year transitional government that will replace the previous interim administration.
The Cabinet, which has 23 members took oath on March 29, around four months after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. However, the new Cabinet will not have prime minister and instead will be led by a secretary general, as per the country's temporary constitution. Al-Sharaa, as secretary general, is expected to lead the executive branch.
While inducting the new Cabinet members, al-Sharaa said, "The formation of a new government today is a declaration of our joint will to build a new state."
Who are the Christian, Kurd and Alawite cabinet members in Syrian government?
Hind Kabawat
Ahmed al-Sharaa has nominated Hind Kabawat, a Christian woman, as the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour. She is known for posing resistance to the Bashar al-Assad regime since 2011 when the war began.
Mohammed Terko
Mohammed Terko, a Kurdish Syrian who is based in Damascus, took oath as the education minister. However, the members of the US-backed Kurdish group, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), were not inducted in the cabinet. Earlier, SDF commanded Mazloum Abdi inked a truce deal with al-Sharaa to merge the Kurdish forces with the Syrian army.
Yarub Badr
Yarub Badr, an Alawite, is the new Transportation Minister. This is a significant move by the al-Sharaa government as the ousted Assad dynasty belonged to the Alawaite community. Concentrated mainly in the Latakia and Tartus governorates, Alawites recently faced crackdown by Syrian authorities over deadly coordinated attacks at hospitals.
Amgad Badr
Amgad Badr, who is set to lead the Agriculture Ministry, will represent the Druze community in the cabinet.
Raed al-Saleh
Raed al-Saleh who heads the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue organisation, is known for his humanitarian efforts during the war. White Helmets was nominated for Nobel Peace Prize thrice. He has been named the Minister of Disaster Management and Emergency Response.
Two of the cabinet members were retained from the interim government, including Defence Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani.
Intelligence department head Anas Khattab is the new Interior Minister. Mohammed al-Bashir who was part of the interim government, will take over as Energy Minister to restore power in the war-torn country as well as rebuild the oil sector. Mohammed Yosr Bernieh is the finance minister.