Syria’s new parliament convened for the first time on Sunday, 19 months after opposition forces led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa ousted Bashar al-Assad, marking a significant moment in the country’s political transition despite the legislature’s currently limited powers.
Speaking at the parliament in Damascus, al-Sharaa urged lawmakers to “make this council a model of responsibility and competence” and described it as “a platform for truth and justice.”
“Syria is writing a glorious history that reflects its heroism, and we face the responsibility of rebuilding both the nation and the individual,” he said, according to foreign media reports cited by Telegrafi.
The new parliament is viewed as a test of al-Sharaa’s promise to establish a more inclusive political order in Syria, which was ruled for decades as a police state under the al-Assad family, with the legislative body largely serving as a symbolic institution.
Under the country’s temporary governing arrangements, two-thirds of the 210-seat assembly were selected last year by regional electoral colleges, while al-Sharaa appointed the remaining third on July 1.
Officials said the system was necessary because years of war had displaced millions of people, making it impossible to rely on accurate population data or voter lists.
Critics, however, argue that the process gave the executive branch broad control over the selection of lawmakers.
Al-Sharaa has said he supports holding general elections once the country’s infrastructure and documentation systems allow for them.
A temporary constitutional declaration introduced in 2025 granted parliament limited authority and does not require the government to receive a parliamentary vote of confidence.
The assembly can propose and approve laws. It has a renewable 30-month mandate and will exercise legislative authority until a permanent constitution is adopted and elections are organized.
Abdel Halim al-Awak, a member of the committee that drafted the constitutional declaration, was elected as speaker with 99 votes.
Al-Sharaa has said the parliament will be responsible for establishing a committee tasked with drafting a new constitution.
A former al-Qaeda militant, al-Sharaa has reshaped Syria since Assad’s fall, building closer ties with Western countries and promising a new era of freedoms. However, his first year in power has been marked by outbreaks of violence between pro-government forces and members of minority communities.
The chamber includes 21 female lawmakers, 15 of whom were among those appointed by al-Sharaa, who cut ties with al-Qaeda in 2016.
Authorities have not released a breakdown of lawmakers representing ethnic and religious minorities.
Unofficial figures indicate that 10 of the seats selected last year went to members of minority communities, including Kurds, Christians, and Alawites — the sect to which Assad belongs.
