Syria President Assad Asks Minister to Form New Government

Syria President Assad Asks Minister to Form New Government
Wed Jun 22, 2016 19:58:03

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has asked the country's electricity minister to form a new government.

Imad Khamis was tasked with forming the new cabinet on Wednesday, Syria’s official news agency, SANA, reported.

Sources had earlier told the Russian English-language news channel RT that the new cabinet will include 12 new ministers, such as the justice minister, health minister and the minister of electricity.

According to the report, the key portfolios will remain intact as the ministers of foreign affairs, interior, defense and finance will not be changed.

File photo shows Syria’s Electricity Minister Imad Khamis.

Khamis is to submit his proposal for new ministerial appointments in the coming days, AFP reported.

He is a 54-year-old engineer, who is to replace Wael al-Halqi who had held the post since August 2012.

Khamis had served as Syria's minister of electricity since 2011 and is an electrical engineer. He has been under sanctions by the European Union since March 2012.

The changes come more than two months after parliamentary elections were held in the country on April 13, in which a high voter turnout was recorded.

A number of opposition parties were running in the race, but armed opposition groups boycotted the vote and called it illegitimate. Parliament members are elected for a four-year term in Syria.

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis it blames on some foreign states for more than five years.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict since March 2011. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in the Middle Eastern state, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.

Backed by the Russian air cover, Syrian forces have managed to liberate many militant-held areas over the past few months.

S/SH 11

Category:
string(2295) "[{"id":"1815151","sort":"3570953","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/05/05/alalam_635980705915885581_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Bashar Al-Assad Congratulates Putin on Victory Day"} ,{"id":"1816014","sort":"3570952","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/05/08/alalam_635983056951870596_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Syria President Assad Ousting Iran’s Redline: Leader Advisor"} ,{"id":"1819316","sort":"3570951","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/05/18/alalam_635991667741949234_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Assad Will Be Removed “By Force”, What Is Saudi Plan B in Syria?"} ,{"id":"1819850","sort":"3570950","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/05/19/alalam_635992904805857463_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"West Supporting Militant Groups to Ouster Syria’s Assad: Moscow"} ,{"id":"1821238","sort":"3570949","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/05/24/alalam_635996764841666378_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Russia Must Stop Syria’s Assad Attacks: Kerry to Lavrov"} ,{"id":"1826010","sort":"3570948","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/07/alalam_636009103669039664_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Syria Parliament to Discuss New Constitution: President Assad"} ,{"id":"1826028","sort":"3570947","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/07/alalam_636009124926618975_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Aleppo Will Become Graveyard for Takfiri Terrorists: Syrian President Assad"} ,{"id":"1828667","sort":"3570946","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/15/alalam_636016114647587014_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Kerry Tells Moscow US Fed up with Syrian President Assad’s Fate"} ,{"id":"1829047","sort":"3570945","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/16/alalam_636017033763766789_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Russia: America Likely to Use Al-Nusra Militants to Oust Syrian President Assad"} ,{"id":"1829633","sort":"3570944","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/18/alalam_636018706207760707_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"Saudi Arabia Wants More Aggressive Approach toward Assad against Terrorism"} ,{"id":"1829787","sort":"3570943","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/19/alalam_636019277493162280_25f_4x3.mp4","title":"VIDEO: Russian Defense Minister Meets President Bashar al-Assad"} ,{"id":"1829961","sort":"3570942","contenttypeid":"21","pic":"/2016/06/19/alalam_636019565012214022_25f_4x3.jpg","title":"Russia: US Using So-Called Moderate Militants to Oust Syria President Assad"} ]"