Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has signed a temporary constitution that will be in force for a five-year transitional period, three months after his forces led a lightning offensive that toppled Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Syria’s interim president has signed a temporary constitution that leaves the country under Islamist rule for five years during a transitional phase

Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a constitutional declaration on Thursday that establishes a political transition period of five years. Al-Sharaa said he hoped it would mark "a new history" for the war-scarred country.

Religious and ethnic minorities, as well as the US and Europe, are wary about freedom of expression protections