Photo: Reuters/Hannah McKay

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a series of government changes in presidential decrees published late at night by state news agency SANA.

Sharaa appointed Khaled Zaarour as information minister, replacing Hamza Mustafa, who was reassigned to the foreign ministry, News.Az reports, citing J Post.

Bassel Sweidan was named agriculture minister. He also leads a committee responsible for reaching settlement agreements with business figures linked to the Assad-era elite.

The president also replaced governors in the provinces of Homs, al-Quneitra, and Deir Ezzor, the eastern province where most of Syria’s oil fields are located.

The reshuffle marks the first major government change since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad and comes around a year and a half into the five-year transitional period outlined in Syria’s constitutional declaration.

No official explanation was provided for the changes. In recent months, protests and social media campaigns have appeared over worsening economic conditions and what critics describe as poor government performance.

Sharaa also appointed a new secretary-general for the presidency. The position had previously been held by one of his brothers, a situation that drew criticism from opponents who accused the administration of favoring nepotism over merit.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova