The Adel Safar government was the eighty-ninth government since the establishment of the modern Syrian state in 1918 and the third government to serve under the presidency of Bashar al-Assad. On 2 April 2011, President Bashar al-Assad issued Decree No. 134 designating Adel Safar to form a new Government. On 14 April 2011, the new Government was announced through Decree No. 146.

The government was established in the early stages of the Syrian civil war, following the resignation of the Muhammad Naji al-Otari government amid nationwide anti-government protests that began in March 2011. Comprising thirty ministers, half of whom had served in the previous government, it introduced significant changes to the economic, service, and security portfolios. Shortly before its formation, the Ministry of Expatriates was merged with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to create the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates.

During its tenure, the government oversaw a series of legislative and administrative reforms, including the lifting of the state of emergency that had been in force since 1963, the abolition of the Supreme State Security Court, the adoption of new laws on public demonstrations, elections, local administration, and the media, and the implementation of a presidential amnesty for political detainees. It also introduced a number of economic measures, including adjustments to fuel subsidies and prices, the creation of an agricultural drought relief fund, and the suspension of the free trade agreement with Turkey.

The government operated during a period of escalating unrest and international isolation. Its prime minister and several senior ministers were subjected to sanctions by the United States, the European Union, and Canada, while the Arab League imposed sanctions on the Syrian government as part of efforts to secure its acceptance of an Arab peace initiative aimed at resolving the crisis.

Composition

See also Council of Ministers (Syria) List of Syrian governments Government ministries of Syria List of prime ministers of Syria

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