Mohammed al-Bashir (; born 1984) is a Syrian politician and engineer who is currently serving as Minister of Energy in the

Syrian transitional government The Syrian transitional government () is the current provisional government of Syria, formed on 29 March 2025 under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. It succeeded the Syrian caretaker government headed by Mohammed al-Bashir. The government was ...

since March 2025. He previously served as the last

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

of Syria. As prime minister, he led the

Syrian caretaker government The Syrian caretaker government () was the provisional government of Syria. It was established in December 2024 by the Syrian opposition after the Syrian General Command appointed Mohammed al-Bashir as prime minister, replacing Mohammad ...

, which was formed after the

fall of the Assad regime On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...

, and succeeded Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali in his role. Al-Bashir had also served as the fifth prime minister of the

Syrian Salvation Government The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) was a '' de facto'' unrecognized quasi-state in Syria formed on 2 November 2017 by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and other opposition groups during the Syrian civil war. It controlled much of northwest S ...

, the civilian administration of the Sunni organization

Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the Syrian civil war. It was formed on 28January 2017 as a merger between several armed groups: Jaysh al-Ahrar (an Ahrar al-Sham facti ...

, from his election on 13 January 2024 until his appointment by the Syrian General Command as the prime minister.

Early life and education

Al-Bashir was born in 1984 in Mashoun, a village in the Jabal Zawiya region of

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the sou ...

. He graduated with a degree in

electrical engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

from the

University of Aleppo University of Aleppo (, also called Aleppo University) is a public university located in Aleppo, Syria. It is the second largest university in Syria after the University of Damascus. During 2005–06, the university had over 61,000 undergraduate ...

in 2007. By 2012, al-Bashir had become the head of the Precision Instruments Department at the gas plant of the Syrian Gas Company. After the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, he became director of the Al-Amal Educational Institute, which provided education to children affected by the war. In 2020, he obtained a degree in

Sharia Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on Islamic holy books, scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran, Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' ...

and law from Idlib University, alongside certifications in administrative organisation and

project management Project management is the process of supervising the work of a Project team, team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project initiation documentation, project documentation, crea ...

Political career

Before being appointed as a minister, al-Bashir served as the Director of Islamic Education at the Salvation Government's Ministry of Awqaf for two and a half years. Afterwards, he served as Deputy Director and then Director of Association Affairs at the Ministry of Development and Humanitarian Affairs. Between 2022 and 2023, al-Bashir served as Minister of Development and Humanitarian Affairs in the cabinet of Ali Keda.

Prime Minister of the Syrian Salvation Government (2024)

On 13 January 2024, the General Shura Council of the Salvation Government voted to elect al-Bashir as prime minister. His election platform focused on

e-government E-government (known for electronic government) involves utilizing technology devices, such as computers and the Internet, for faster means of delivering public services to citizens and other persons in a country or region. E-government offer ...

and government automation. His administration lowered real estate fees, relaxed planning regulations, and launched consultations for expanding the

zoning In urban planning, zoning is a method in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into land-use "zones", each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for ...

plan of

Idlib Idlib (, ; also spelt Idleb or Edlib) is a city in northwestern Syria, and is the capital of the Idlib Governorate. It has an elevation of nearly above sea level, and is southwest of Aleppo. It is located near the border with Turkey. History ...

. On 5 March 2024, amid demonstrations against HTS in Idlib and the onset of

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, al-Bashir signed a decree granting amnesty to prisoners who were not convicted of serious crimes. In late November 2024, the HTS-led Military Operations Command, supported by Turkish-backed rebels of the

Syrian National Army The Syrian National Army (SNA; ), also known as the Turkish-backed Free Syrian Army (TFSA), is a coalition of armed Syrian opposition groups that participate in the Syrian civil war. Comprising various rebel factions that emerged at the sta ...

, launched the Northwestern Syria offensive, leading to the capture of

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

and significantly increasing the extent of the Salvation Government's controlled territories. In a

press conference A press conference, also called news conference or press briefing, is a media event in which notable individuals or organizations invite journalism, journalists to hear them speak and ask questions. Press conferences are often held by politicia ...

, al-Bashir stated that the offensive was launched in response to attacks on civilians by Syrian government troops, which he claimed had led to the displacement of "tens of thousands" of civilians. On 4 December 2024, al-Bashir travelled to Aleppo to supervise the reopening of government offices, praising employees of the previous government who returned to work.

Prime Minister of Syria (2024–2025)

On 9 December 2024, following the

, al-Bashir was tasked with forming the

after meeting with HTS leader

Ahmed al-Sharaa Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa (born 29 October 1982) also known by his ''nom de guerre'' Abu Mohammad al-Julani, is a Syrian politician and former rebel commander serving as the president of Syria since January 2025. He previously served as the coun ...

and outgoing Syrian prime minister Mohammad Ghazi al-Jalali to coordinate a transfer of power. The next day, he was officially appointed by the Syrian General Command as the prime minister of the caretaker government. In a televised statement, al-Bashir announced that officials from the Salvation Government met with representatives of the previous government to facilitate the handover of power and that his cabinet from the Salvation Government would assume their corresponding roles in the caretaker government. With the

2012 Constitution of Ba'athist Syria The 2012 Constitution of Ba'athist Syria was the constitution of Ba'athist Syria between 27 February 2012 until the fall of the Assad regime on 8 December 2024. It replaced the 1973 constitution. Following the 2011 Syrian revolution, Ba'athis ...

suspended following the fall of the Assad regime, the new 2025 Interim Constitution establishes a

presidential system A presidential, strong-president, or single-executive system (sometimes also congressional system) is a form of government in which a head of government (usually titled " president") heads an executive branch that derives its authority and l ...

in which executive power is concentrated in the hands of the president, who appoints the ministers without the position of prime minister. The position of prime minister was abolished on 29 March 2025 with the

replacing the caretaker government.

Ministry of Energy (2025–present)

On 29 March 2025, the

was announced by Syrian President al-Sharaa at a ceremony at the

Presidential Palace A presidential palace is the official residence of the president in some countries. Some presidential palaces were once the official residences to monarchs in former monarchies that were preserved during those states' transition into republics. ...

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

, in which the new ministers were sworn in and delivered speeches outlining their agendas. With that announcement, al-Bashir was appointed Minister of Energy in the

and was tasked with restoring the electricity and oil sectors, which had been severely damaged during the Syrian civil war.

Notes

References

{{Tahrir al-Sham People from Idlib Governorate Anti-Assad politicians of the Syrian civil war 1984 births Living people Syrian engineers University of Aleppo alumni Sunni Islamists Syrian Islamists Prime ministers of Syria Syrian Sunni Muslims 21st-century Syrian politicians Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham