Syria Selects Members of First Post-Assad Parliament

Local committees in Syria cast ballots on Sunday to appoint members of a transitional parliament, in a process widely criticised as undemocratic. One-third of the new lawmakers are to be directly appointed by interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, consolidating his political control.

Sharaa’s Islamist-led coalition, which toppled Bashar al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war, now seeks to assert its authority through this transitional assembly.

Members of local committees queued at Syria’s National Library, formerly the Assad National Library. The electoral commission announced in the evening:

“The voting has ended and the counting is underway.”

A Damascus elections committee official told AFP that early results might emerge Sunday night, but the final list of winners was expected only on Monday.

• Participation: Approximately 6,000 people took part in the selection process.
• Candidates: More than 1,500 individuals ran for seats, of which 14 percent were women.
• Mandate: The parliament will serve a renewable 30-month term.

Sharaa will appoint 70 representatives directly, while the remaining two-thirds are selected by local committees appointed by the electoral commission, itself under Sharaa’s authority.

However, southern Druze-majority Sweida province and the Kurdish-held northeast were excluded, leaving 32 seats vacant, as these areas remain outside central government control.

Public Sentiment

Many Syrians voiced scepticism over the legitimacy of the process: “I support the authorities and I’m ready to defend them, but these aren’t real elections,” said Louay al-Arfi, 77, a retired civil servant in Damascus.
“It’s a necessity in the transitional phase, but we want direct elections to follow.”

The new authorities have already dissolved Assad’s rubber-stamp legislature, and under a temporary constitution announced in March, the transitional parliament will exercise legislative functions until a permanent constitution is adopted.

Sharaa defended the process, citing the millions of Syrians lacking documentation due to displacement or exile: “It is true that the electoral process is incomplete… it is a moderate process that is appropriate for the current situation and circumstances in Syria.”

Candidates must not support the former regime or advocate secession. Among the contenders is Syrian-American Henry Hamra, marking the first Jewish candidate since the 1940s.

“The next parliament faces significant responsibilities, including signing and ratifying international agreements. This will lead Syria into a new phase, and it is a major responsibility,” said Hala al-Qudsi, a member of Damascus’s electoral committee and candidate.

Rights groups have sharply criticised the process, highlighting that it centralises power under Sharaa and excludes significant ethnic and religious minorities.

• In a joint statement last month, over a dozen groups warned that Sharaa “can effectively shape a parliamentary majority composed of individuals he selected or ensured loyalty from.”
• Bassam Alahmad, executive director of France-based Syrians for Truth and Justice, said:“You can call the process what you like, but not elections.”

Candidates and citizens in Damascus acknowledged that the process was novel and transitional: “The government is new to power and freedom is new for us,” said candidate Mayssa Halwani, 48.

However, regions excluded from the process voiced strong disapproval:

• Nishan Ismail, a 40-year-old teacher in the Kurdish northeast, said: “Elections could have been a new political start, but the marginalisation of numerous regions shows that the standards of political participation are not respected.”
• Badran Jia Kurd, a Kurdish official, argued on X: “The selection process aims to legitimise a temporary authority that does not represent the entire population, risking further divisions and fragmentation of the country.”
• Burhan Azzam, a Druze activist in Sweida, added: “The authorities have ended political life in Syria… the selection process doesn’t respect the basic rules of democracy.”