The choice of cabinet officials was seen as a litmus test for whether the rebels who ousted Bashar al-Assad would deliver on a pledge to create a government representative of all Syrians.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, announced late Saturday the formation of a caretaker government that will lead the country through a crucial transition as it emerges from more than 50 years of dictatorship under the Assad family’s iron-fisted rule.
Mr. al-Shara, who led the coalition of rebel forces that overthrew the Assad regime, appointed a bevy of new ministers, swearing in each before an audience of several hundred dignitaries in a brightly lit hall in the presidential palace on a hill above Damascus.
His government included some experienced officials, and one woman — but he appointed close allies to the important ministries of defense, foreign affairs and interior.
The rebels who ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December have since been acting as Syria’s de facto authorities. Mr. al-Shara was named interim president and oversaw a transitional government.
Among Mr. al-Shara’s early promises was to form a caretaker government by March that would run the country until elections can be held. He has said that it could take up to four years to hold elections because the country is in disarray.
The makeup of the new government announced on Saturday, including key cabinet positions, was widely seen as a litmus test for whether Mr. al-Shara would extend any real power beyond his tight-knit circle of allies and make good on his pledge to create an inclusive government that represents all of Syria’s disparate religious and ethnic groups.
