Over the weekend, the interim Syrian government announced a new set of 23 cabinet ministers, who are to run the country for the next five years until elections can be held.

At a ceremony in the Syrian capital Damascus on Saturday evening, the interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, proclaimed that, "we are witnessing the birth of a new phase in our national journey, and the formation of a new government today is a declaration of our shared will to build a new state."

Up until now, the caretaker government had been dominated by allies or members of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, the rebel group led by al-Sharaa that led the offensive, which toppled the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad.

If the new cabinet had continued to be dominated by religious men and former fighters from the province of Idlib where HTS was in charge, it would have been a worrying sign that HTS intended to consolidate its power, observers said. But if the cabinet was comprised of a mixture of Syrians who represent the country's different communities, ethnicities and religions, that could be considered a positive sign.

International and Syrian observers and analysts, as well as ordinary citizens, have greeted the announcement of the new cabinet with cautious optimism.

As had been widely expected, HTS retained pivotal ministries, including foreign affairs, defense, justice and the interior. But around half of the new ministers are not affiliated with the group, offering a mix of community representation and professional qualifications.

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