The Hafez al-Assad government was the seventy-sixth government since the establishment of the modern Syrian state in 1918. Formed on 21 November 1970 by Decree No. 2616, it was the first government established following the Corrective Revolution that brought Hafez al-Assad to power. The government remained in office until 3 April 1971 and marked the beginning of the political era that would dominate Syria for the next three decades.
Following the overthrow of the government of Nureddin al-Atassi, al-Assad appointed Ahmad al-Khatib as Head of State while assuming the offices of Prime Minister and Minister of Defence himself. The government was tasked with consolidating the new political order established by the Corrective Movement and strengthening the authority of the new leadership within the state and the Ba'ath Party.
On 22 February 1971, Hafez al-Assad was elected President of the Republic, while continuing to serve simultaneously as Prime Minister and Minister of Defence. On 3 April 1971, he appointed Major General Abdul Rahman Khleifawi as Prime Minister, ending the tenure of his first government.
Composition
See also Council of Ministers (Syria) List of Syrian governments Government ministries of Syria List of prime ministers of Syria
References