Overview
- Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, removed his brother Maher from the powerful secretary-general role that runs the presidential office and named former Homs governor Abdul Rahman Badreddine al-Aama as successor.
- State media announced further changes that installed Khaled Zaarour as information minister and replaced governors in Homs, Latakia, Deir el-Zour and Quneitra.
- The government has not said what role, if any, Maher al-Sharaa will take next, and he previously served as interim health minister and is a physician.
- The move follows criticism that placing a relative in a top post echoed Assad-era family rule, a comparison that fueled accusations of nepotism.
- Al Jazeera reported this is the first broad reshuffle since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster and linked the timing to public frustration over appointments and a worsening economy.