Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Wednesday appointed agriculture minister Riad Hijab as the strife-torn country's new premier and tasked him with forming a government, state television reported.
"President Assad issued a decree asking Riad Hijab to form a new government," the television said.
The appointment comes after a new parliament was voted in on 7 May in elections boycotted by opposition groups.
Syrian foreign ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi confirmed the report on Twitter, saying, "Dr Riad Hijab is the new prime minister of Syria and will form the new government."
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