Syria completes post-Assad parliament with 70 presidential appointees

Syria’s interim authorities have completed the country’s new 210-seat parliament after President Ahmed al-Sharaa named 70 legislators to the chamber, according to AFP and The Associated Press. The step gives Syria its first legislature since Bashar al-Assad was removed from power in December 2024 and sets up a formal lawmaking body during the country’s transition.

Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, the head of Syria’s electoral committee, told reporters in Damascus on Wednesday that the parliament will hold its first session on Monday. At that meeting, members are expected to take the oath and elect the parliament’s presidential council, al-Ahmad said.

Al-Sharaa directly appoints one-third of the legislature, AFP and AP reported. His 70 selections include 15 women, bringing the total number of female lawmakers in the chamber to 22.

The legislature’s formation follows months of staged voting and appointments after the fall of al-Assad, whose family’s rule was marked by decades of tight political control. AFP and AP reported that al-Assad was ousted after more than 13 years of civil war, a conflict that killed about half a million people.

Voting delayed in parts of Syria

Syria held the first phase of parliamentary elections in October, but not all parts of the country voted at that time. The southern province of Suwayda, a predominantly Druze area, was left out because of security concerns, and no date has been set for voting there, according to AFP and AP.

Northeast Syria was also excluded from the October vote because it was under Kurdish control at the time, AFP and AP reported. A vote was later held there in May after government forces took control of the area during deadly clashes earlier in the year.

The new parliament includes Alawite representatives and two lawmakers from Suwayda, according to AFP and AP. Al Jazeera correspondent Obaida Hitto reported from Damascus that the elected portion of the chamber initially included only a small number of members from some minority communities, including Kurds.

Hitto said the president’s appointments added several Kurdish lawmakers from Hasakah governorate. That changed the balance of representation in the final makeup of the legislature, according to Al Jazeera’s reporting.

A 30-month mandate

Al-Ahmad said the new parliament will serve for 30 months. During that period, it is expected to work on a new elections law and prepare conditions for a public vote in the next parliamentary elections, according to AFP and AP.

The process is being treated by Syria’s interim authorities as part of the country’s political transition, AFP and AP reported. The chamber’s first meeting on Monday will mark the start of its work after the latest round of appointments filled the remaining seats.

This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.