The First Hussein Arnous government was the ninety-fourth government since the establishment of the modern Syrian state in 1918 and the eighth government to serve under the presidency of Bashar al-Assad. Formed on 30 August 2020 by Decree No. 221, the government was sworn in on 2 September 2020 following the 2020 Syrian parliamentary election.
The government was established after the parliamentary elections held on 19 July 2020. It comprised twenty-nine ministers, including fifteen members of the previous government and fourteen new appointees, among them three Ministers of State. Several ministers changed portfolios, including Salwa Abdullah, who was reassigned from Minister of State to Minister of Social Affairs and Labour. The government also marked the return of Lubanah Mshaweh as Minister of Culture, a position she had previously held in the First Wael al-Halqi government. President Bashar al-Assad had tasked Hussein Arnous with forming the government on 25 August 2020 under Decree No. 210.
Following the death of Walid Muallem on November 16, Presidential Decree No. 322 of November 22, 2020 was issued, which was Dr. Faisal Mekdad appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.
The government continued to administer Syria during the ongoing Syrian civil war, overseeing state institutions amid continuing economic difficulties, international sanctions, and reconstruction efforts in government-controlled areas. It remained in office until August 2021, when it was succeeded by a second government headed by Hussein Arnous following the 2021 Syrian presidential election.
Composition
See also Council of Ministers (Syria) List of Syrian governments Government ministries of Syria List of prime ministers of Syria
References