Full Breakdown
Syria’s First Post-Assad Parliament Convenes Amid Transition Challenges
7/13/2026, 12:42:14 AM
Inaugural Session of the People’s Assembly
On Sunday, the newly elected 210-member People’s Assembly held its first session in Damascus, the first parliamentary gathering since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad in December 2024. The assembly will serve a 30-month term while the country prepares for national elections under the Constitutional Declaration that outlines a five-year transitional period.
Composition and Electoral Framework
Two-thirds of the legislators (140 members) were chosen by provincial electoral colleges, while the remaining one-third (70 members) were appointed directly by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa under Decree No. 143 of 2025. Seats allocated to the southern province of Suweida remain vacant because the electoral process there could not be completed. The temporary electoral law was designed to blend local representation with the inclusion of academics, legal experts, and former detainees, aiming to enhance gender, ethnic (including Kurdish), and displaced-person representation.
Key Figures
- Ahmed al-Sharaa – interim President who led the rebel offensive that removed Assad and presided over the opening ceremony.
- Abdul Hamid al-Awak – elected speaker; a former Justice Ministry judge from Hassakeh who defected from the Assad government early in the uprising and later lived in Turkey.
- Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad – head of the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections, who opened the session and described it as historic.
Official Statements & Responses
President al-Sharaa told parliamentarians that Syria was entering “a new phase focused on strengthening state institutions” after “the restoration of what he described as Syria’s freedom.” He emphasized the need to “consolidate the state” and framed the assembly as a vehicle for rebuilding governance.
Speaker-elect al-Awak’s upcoming address is expected to outline the state’s priorities for the next transition phase, according to the temporary electoral law.
Criticism & Opposition
Observers have labeled the presidential appointment of one-third of the legislators “undemocratic,” arguing that it sets a troubling precedent for the post-Assad transition. Critics contend that the “presidential third” may limit genuine representation and risk perpetuating the authoritarian dynamics that characterized the previous regime’s rubber-stamp parliament.
Challenges to Legislative Independence
Analysts warn that the assembly’s greatest hurdle will be asserting independence from the executive branch—particularly the president and cabinet—to avoid a return to the limited influence parliament held under Assad. Additional obstacles include completing representation for Suweida, rebuilding public trust after years of a rubber-stamp legislature, and navigating sectarian tensions that persist across the country.
Verbatim Quotes
- “After liberating our homeland and regaining our freedom, we are all moving toward consolidating the state,” — Ahmed al-Sharaa
- “writing a glorious chapter in its history that reflects the heroism of its people,” — Ahmed al-Sharaa
- “we are partners in this responsibility.” — Ahmed al-Sharaa
- “a model of responsibility and competence” — Ahmed al-Sharaa
- “the blood of the martyrs and a defining moment in history in which we declare to the world that Syria has shaken off the dust of war.” — Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad
What’s Next
The newly elected speaker, Abdul Hamid al-Awak, will invite President al-Sharaa to a future session to outline the state’s priorities, and the assembly will begin exercising its broad legislative and oversight powers, including budget approval, treaty ratification, and government questioning, as the transitional period progresses.
