Mohammed al-Bashir (Arabic:محمد البشير,romanized: Muḥammad al-Bashīr; born 1984) is a Syrian politician and engineer who is currently serving as theminister of energy in theSyrian transitional government since March 2025. He previously served as the lastprime minister of Syria. As prime minister, he led theSyrian caretaker government, which was formed after thefall of the Assad regime, and succeededMohammad Ghazi al-Jalali in his role.[1]
Al-Bashir had also served as the fifth and final prime minister of theSyrian Salvation Government, the civilian administration ofHay'at Tahrir al-Sham, from his election on 13 January 2024 until his appointment by the Syrian General Command as the prime minister of Syria.
Al-Bashir was born in 1984 in Mashoun, a village in theJabal Zawiya region ofIdlib Governorate.[2] He graduated with a degree inelectrical engineering from theUniversity of Aleppo 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 theSyrian civil war, he became director of the Al-Amal Educational Institute, which provided education to children affected by the war.[3] In 2020, he obtained a degree inSharia and law fromIdlib University, alongside certifications in administrative organisation andproject management.[4][5]
Before being appointed as a minister, al-Bashir served as the Director of Islamic Education at the Salvation Government'sMinistry 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.[5] Between 2022 and 2023, al-Bashir served as Minister of Development and Humanitarian Affairs in the cabinet ofAli Keda.[6][7][5]
On 13 January 2024, the General Shura Council of theSalvation Government voted to elect al-Bashir as prime minister.[4][8] His election platform focused one-government and government automation.[7] His administration lowered real estate fees, relaxed planning regulations,[9] and launched consultations for expanding thezoning plan ofIdlib.[10] On 5 March 2024, amid demonstrations against HTS in Idlib and the onset ofRamadan, al-Bashir signed a decree granting amnesty to prisoners who were not convicted of serious crimes.[11]
In late November 2024, the HTS-ledMilitary Operations Command, supported byTurkish-backed rebels of theSyrian National Army, launched theNorthwestern Syria offensive, leading tothe capture ofAleppo and significantly increasing the extent of the Salvation Government's controlled territories. In apress conference, al-Bashir stated that the offensive was launched in response to attacks on civilians by Syrian government troops,[12] which he claimed had led to the displacement of "tens of thousands" of civilians.[13] 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.[14]
On 9 December 2024, following thefall of the Assad regime, al-Bashir was tasked with forming theSyrian caretaker government after meeting with HTS leaderAhmed al-Sharaa and outgoing Syrian prime ministerMohammad Ghazi al-Jalali to coordinate a transfer of power.[15][16][17] The next day, he was officially appointed by the Syrian General Command asthe prime minister of the caretaker government.[18] In a televised statement, al-Bashir announced that officials from the Salvation Government met with representatives of theprevious government to facilitate the handover of power and that his cabinet from the Salvation Government would assume their corresponding roles in the caretaker government.[19][20]
With the2012 Constitution of Ba'athist Syria suspended following the fall of the Assad regime,[21] the newConstitutional Declaration of the Syrian Arab Republic establishes apresidential system in which executive power is concentrated in the hands of the president,[22] who appoints the ministers without the position of prime minister.[23] The position of prime minister was abolished on 29 March 2025 with theSyrian transitional government replacing the caretaker government.[24]
On 29 March 2025, theSyrian transitional government was announced by Syrian Presidental-Sharaa at a ceremony at thePresidential Palace inDamascus,[25] in which the new ministers were sworn in and delivered speeches outlining their agendas.[26] With that announcement, al-Bashir was appointedMinister of Energy in theSyrian transitional government and was tasked with restoring the electricity and oil sectors, which had been severely damaged during theSyrian civil war.[27]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Prime Minister of Syria 2024–2025 | Office abolished |
| Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920) | .svg) |
|---|---|
| French mandate (1920–1930) | |
| First Syrian Republic (1930–1950) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) | |
| United Arab Republic (1958–1961) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) | .svg) |
| Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) | |
| Transitional period (2024–2025) | |
* acting | |
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