Syria finalises new post-Assad parliament as first session nears

Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has completed the formation of the country's new 210-seat parliament by naming the final 70 members, according to the head of the electoral committee. The move clears the way for the legislature to hold its first session next week. It is part of the country's transition after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in 2024.

Sponsored

Mohammed Taha al-Ahmed, chairman of the Higher Committee for the Syrian People's Assembly elections, said 15 of the president's appointees are women. He said the selections were intended to bring together "the voice of sacrifice and the voice of experience" and to reflect different parts of Syrian society. The appointees include people described as relatives of those killed in the war, survivors of detention and chemical attacks, as well as academics, professionals, community leaders and public figures.

The new parliament is expected to serve during the transitional period and work on legislation, including a new elections law. The chamber's composition has been closely watched because the earlier electoral college process produced limited representation for women and minorities, prompting officials to use the presidential appointments to address the imbalance. The final list also includes people from all 14 provinces, with two appointees from Suweida, where voting has not yet been held.

The appointments matter because the parliament will help shape the next stage of Syria's political transition after more than 13 years of civil war. The conflict left deep administrative, legal and security challenges, and the new assembly is expected to play a role in setting the rules for future national elections. The process also reflects the interim leadership's effort to present a broader national image while retaining control over the transition.

Sponsored

Questions remain over how quickly the parliament will agree on the legal framework for future elections and whether unresolved voting arrangements in Suweida will be addressed. It is also unclear how the new chamber will balance representation with the authority of the interim presidency. The first session next week will be an early test of the new political order and of the government's ability to manage the transition.

Syria's first parliament since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad has taken shape, marking a significant step in the country's political transition. The new 210-member legislature is due to hold its first meeting on Monday, when members will be sworn in and the parliament's presidential council elected. The development comes as the country continues to move away from decades of Assad family rule.

According to the head of Syria's electoral committee, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, President Ahmed al-Sharaa directly appointed 70 of the 210 seats, or one third of the chamber. The list of appointees includes 15 women, bringing the total number of female members to 22. Al-Ahmad said the parliament will serve a 30-month term and work on a new elections law as part of preparations for a future popular vote.

The new legislature also includes representatives from minority communities, including members of the Alawite community and two legislators from Suwayda. The province of Suwayda, which has a predominantly Druze population, was excluded from the first phase of parliamentary elections in October last year because of security concerns, and no date has yet been set for a vote there. Northeast Syria, which was then under Kurdish control, was also excluded from that round before a vote was later held in May after government forces took control of the area during deadly clashes earlier this year.

Sponsored

The formation of the parliament is politically significant because it is part of the institutional rebuilding that followed Assad's removal in December 2024 after more than 13 years of civil war. That war killed about half a million people and left Syria facing major legal, administrative and security challenges. The new assembly is expected to help shape the rules for the next stage of the transition, including the electoral framework that will govern future national votes.

The composition of the chamber also reflects the authorities' effort to broaden representation after the end of Assad rule. Reporting from Damascus indicated that the appointed seats were used to add more Kurdish members from Hasakah after the elected list initially included only a small number of minority representatives. That suggests the interim leadership is trying to balance political control with a wider national image as it builds new institutions.

What remains unclear is how quickly the parliament will be able to agree on a new elections law and whether unresolved voting arrangements in Suwayda will be addressed soon. The coming session will also show how much practical authority the legislature can exercise during the transition. The first meeting on Monday will be an early test of Syria's post-Assad political order and of the interim leadership's ability to manage a more inclusive but still tightly controlled process.

#Syria #AhmedalSharaa #parliament #transitionalgovernment #elections