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Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed the final 70 members of the country's new parliament, the People's Assembly, completing the formation of the first legislative body since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The chamber, which will hold its first session next week, is a key test of the transitional government's promise of political inclusivity.
Coverage Comparison
The appointment of the 70 lawmakers was reported by BBC News and the Jerusalem Post. Both outlets noted that the assembly consists of 210 seats, with two-thirds chosen by regional electoral colleges last year and the remaining third appointed by the president to address imbalances in representation. The Jerusalem Post reported that the chamber will wield limited power under a presidential system established by al-Sharaa.
Key Claims
According to BBC News, 15 of the newly appointed lawmakers are women, and 13 were imprisoned during the rule of Bashar al-Assad. The appointments include relatives of martyrs, survivors of detention and chemical attacks, as well as academics, experts, professionals, and community leaders, as stated by Mohammed Taha al-Ahmed, chairman of the Higher Committee for the Syrian People's Assembly Elections.
The new parliament includes 21 women, representing about 10% of the chamber, as reported by the Jerusalem Post and corroborated by Reuters. This follows an initial selection process that resulted in only six female lawmakers, prompting al-Sharaa to use his appointments to rectify the imbalance. In Aleppo, women activists, including law student Aisha al-Khatib, have protested against what they describe as inadequate female representation. al-Khatib, coordinator of the "Power of Decision Through Women's Voices" initiative, told The Media Line that numbers alone do not guarantee meaningful political representation. The international benchmark for female representation is at least 30%.
The Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections announced the names of the new members on Wednesday, with the first session scheduled for Monday. The formation process was delayed by challenges in several provinces, including Suweida, where elections could not be held due to sectarian violence. The president stated that elections in Suweida would be conducted once "conditions become suitable."
Public Skepticism
A survey conducted by the Arab magazine Syria in Transition, reported by the Jerusalem Post, found widespread skepticism among Syrians about the new parliament's effectiveness. Interviewing 900 people across Damascus, Damascus Countryside, and Homs in mid-June, the poll revealed that only 14% of respondents believed the assembly would represent the people, and only 10% thought it would influence government decisions. Meanwhile, 45% said the body would not represent the people, and 29% expressed indifference. The majority of respondents (64%) said they could not predict what influence the assembly would have.