Ahmad al-Sharaa reshuffled senior government posts, removing his brother Maher al-Sharaa as Secretary-General to the Presidency and appointing Abdul Rahman Badreddine Al-Aama as his replacement, SANA reported. The changes follow criticism that family appointments echo the practices of the former Assad regime. New governors were named for Homs, Latakia, Deir el-Zour and Quneitra, and Khaled Zaarour was named information minister.
Syria’s Interim President Removes Brother From Key Post in Major Government Reshuffle
This is a locator map for Syria with its capital, Damascus. (AP Photo)(ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, carried out a high-profile reshuffle Saturday, removing his brother, Maher al-Sharaa, from the post of Secretary-General to the Presidency amid accusations of nepotism as the transitional government seeks to consolidate authority after a long civil war.
The decree, published by state news agency SANA, named Abdul Rahman Badreddine Al-Aama, the former governor of Homs province, as the new Secretary-General to the Presidency. It was not immediately clear whether Maher al-Sharaa will be reassigned to another government role. Maher, a physician by training, previously served as the interim health minister.
Context and Comparisons
Observers and critics had drawn parallels between Maher al-Sharaa’s appointment last year and the family-based political placements associated with the previous Assad regime. During Bashar al-Assad’s rule, several relatives held influential positions — for example, his brother Maher al-Assad commanded the 4th Armored Division, which has been accused by opposition activists of human-rights abuses, while his wife, Asma al-Assad, chaired the Syrian Trust for Development.
Other Appointments
The interim administration also named new governors for Homs, Latakia, Deir el-Zour and Quneitra provinces. In a separate appointment, Khaled Zaarour, an academic and former dean of the Faculty of Media at Damascus University, was named information minister, replacing Hamza Mustafa, a former media executive who had headed the private Syria TV network.
Why it matters: The reshuffle is an early test of Ahmad al-Sharaa’s commitment to reducing perceptions of cronyism and rebuilding state institutions after he led the offensive that removed Bashar al-Assad from power in December 2024.
State reporting did not provide further details on the reasons for each change or an exhaustive list of new provincial appointees. The moves are likely to be watched closely at home and by international observers for signs of how the interim government will approach governance, accountability and reconstruction.
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