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Mohammad Yasser Ghazal (Arabic: ‎محمد ياسر غزال, romanized: Muḥammad Yāsir Ghazāl; born 1988) is a Syrian civil engineer and public official, who currently serves as the incumbent president of the Damascus City Council and deputy minister of Local Administration. He previously served from 10-to-15 December 2024 as acting governor of Damascus, before being succeeded by Maher Marwan. He is known for his role in the transitional administration of Damascus, following its capture by opposition forces and fall of the Assad regime during the Syrian civil war. Ghazal has been tasked with restructuring governance in the capital as part of efforts by the Syrian transitional government to unify opposition-held territories with Damascus.

Early life and career

Ghazal grew up in the United Arab Emirates. He had pursued a career in civil engineering. He worked in Saudi Arabia until 2014, when he relocated to Idlib amidst the escalation of the Syrian civil war. In 2018, he played a role in founding the Syrian Salvation Government, a governing body which operated in the HTS-controlled part of the ares held by opposition forces in Syria.

Role in Damascus governance

This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. Relevant discussion may be found on the talk page. Please help improve this article by introducing citations to additional sources. Find sources: "Mohammad Yasser Ghazal" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (December 2024)

In 2024, following the fall of the Ba'athist regime in Damascus, Ghazal was appointed head of the city council, effectively becoming the capital’s chief administrator. He has focused on dismantling the centralized and corrupt structures of the former regime while modernizing the city’s governance systems.

Administrative reforms

Ghazal's initial efforts included a comprehensive review of Damascus’s bureaucratic institutions. He convened department heads to clarify their roles and mandates, revealing severe inefficiencies and outdated practices. For example, the "Public Relations Department" described its duties as managing flags for official ceremonies, prompting Ghazal to question the utility of such roles.

He described the Assad regime’s administration as characterized by systemic corruption, with "ghost jobs" and widespread bribery. Ghazal attributed these issues to decades of authoritarian governance and economic mismanagement, noting that government employees were earning as little as $25 per month.

Digital transformation

Drawing on his experience in Idlib, where government services were digitized, Ghazal has prioritized modernizing Damascus’s administrative systems. He contrasted the slow and corrupt processes of the former regime with the efficiency of digital governance, such as issuing identity documents in minutes rather than months.

Challenges

Ghazal's efforts to reform Damascus face significant obstacles, including the legacy of decades-long centralized rule under the Assad regime and the precarious economic situation in Syria. Furthermore, the association of the Salvation Government with HTS, a group classified as a terrorist organization by the United Nations, United States, and others, complicates efforts to secure international legitimacy.

References

1. Multiple sources:
   • "Daily life in Syria begins to return as new leaders work on building a functioning nation". PBS News. 12 December 2024. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
   • Lucas, Scott (13 December 2024). "Who is Syria's new prime minister – and what will he do?". The Conversation. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
   • Dadouch, Sarah; Jalabi, Raya (11 December 2024). "The department of flags: Syrian rebels lay bare Assad's corrupt state". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
2. "How to rebuild a state: The challenge facing Syria's rebels now in power". 16 December 2024. Retrieved 29 December 2024.
3. ^ Dadouch, Sarah (13 December 2024). "Syrian rebels unveil the corruption system of the Assad era". Noon Post (in Arabic). Retrieved 15 December 2024.
4. Dadouch, Sarah; Jalabi, Raya (11 December 2024). "The department of flags: Syrian rebels lay bare Assad's corrupt state". Financial Times. Retrieved 16 December 2024.

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