The ousting of Bashar Assad ended decades of iron-fisted rule, but despite power now resting in Ahmed al-Sharaa's hands, Syria faces a fragile transition amid territorial and governance challenges.
Military commanders appointed al-Sharaa interim president weeks after an anti-regime alliance captured Damascus.
His nomination has been welcomed by key regional players Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye and Saudi Arabia.
Syrians are "now fully dependant" on the intentions of the new authorities over the future of their country, said Damascus-based lawyer Ezzedine al-Rayeq.
"Will they really take the country toward democracy, human rights?" he asked.
Al-Sharaa led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which spearheaded the rebel offensive that toppled Assad on Dec. 8.
The group and other factions have been dissolved, with fighters set to be integrated into a future national force.
Al-Sharaa has now traded his fatigues for a suit and a tie.
In his first address as president Thursday, he vowed to "form a broad transitional government, representative of Syria's diversity" that will "build the institutions of a new Syria" and work toward "free and transparent elections."
He had already been acting as the country's leader before Wednesday's appointment, which followed a closed-door meeting with faction leaders who backed the overthrow of Assad.
Authorities have pledged to hold a national dialogue conference involving all Syrians, but have yet to set a date.
"We thought that the national conference would see the creation of (new) authorities and allow the election of a president – perhaps Sharaa, or someone else," Rayeq said.
"But if we are realistic and pragmatic, (appointing Sharaa) was perhaps the only way forward," said Rayeq, who since Assad's fall has helped found an initiative on human rights and political participation.
Authorities have suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament, while the army and security services collapsed after decades of Baath party rule.
Ziad Majed, a Syria expert and author on the Assad family's rule, said Sharaa's appointment could have been negotiated differently while noting the leader was effectively "already acting as a transitional president."
Al-Sharaa said his appointment followed "intense consultations" with legal advisers, promising a "constitutional declaration" and a "limited legislative council."
Majed said most armed groups "recognize Sharaa's leadership," but noted unresolved tensions with groups in the south and northeast, including the PKK/YPG terrorists.
Syria's new rulers, also backed by Ankara, have urged the PKK/YPG to hand over its weapons, rejecting any self-rule.
Majed said he expected "al-Sharaa and those close to him" to seek to "consolidate territorial control and control over armed groups," but that other priorities would include reviving the war-battered economy.
Lawyer Rayeq said he supported grouping Syria's ideologically diverse armed groups "under a single authority."
If such a move were successful, "we will have put the civil war behind us," he said.
