Final Parliamentary Appointments Announced
Election official Mohammed Taha al-Ahmed stated that 15 of the president's appointees were women.
Syria's Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has appointed the final 70 members of the country's new parliament, enabling it to convene its inaugural session next week.
Among the new lawmakers, 15 are women and 13 were imprisoned during the tenure of Bashar al-Assad, who was deposed in 2024. The number of members belonging to religious and ethnic minorities remains unspecified.
In October of the previous year, regional electoral colleges elected two-thirds of the 210-seat People's Assembly, which will undertake legislative responsibilities during the transitional period.
Following the election results, where only six seats were secured by women and 10 by minority candidates, electoral officials indicated that President Sharaa would use his appointments to rectify this imbalance.
Composition and Representation
Mohammed Taha al-Ahmed, chairman of the Higher Committee for the Syrian People's Assembly Elections, described the president's selections as a combination of "the voice of sacrifice and the voice of experience" within the People's Assembly. He emphasized that the appointments represented diverse segments of Syrian society and reinforced national unity.
"They included 'relatives of martyrs and survivors of detention and chemical attacks' during the 13-year civil war, as well as academics, experts, professionals, community leaders and national figures 'known for their experience, integrity and public service'," he added.
Syria TV reported that actress Rouzaina Lazkani was among the appointees.
Ahmed also noted that the new appointees originate from all 14 provinces, including two from Suweida, a province with a predominantly Druze population.
Election Delays and Regional Challenges
Electoral college polls have yet to be conducted in Suweida, as the southern province has remained outside state control since sectarian fighting last July resulted in approximately 1,700 deaths involving government forces, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and Druze militias.
"When conditions become suitable to hold elections in this good and blessed governorate, God willing, we will conduct the elections there," Ahmed stated.
Additionally, elections were delayed by seven months in parts of the northern provinces of Raqqa and Hassakeh. These areas were recaptured by government forces from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia alliance earlier this year.
More than 20 Kurdish parties rejected the lawmakers selected by the electoral colleges in May, criticizing the process as reflecting "an approach of exclusion and marginalisation." Fourteen Syrian civil society groups also condemned the electoral system last year, citing "deep structural flaws." They argued that the president's direct and indirect influence over the Higher Committee and electoral colleges rendered the elections symbolic.
Concerns were expressed regarding the president's authority to appoint one-third of the parliament members and to name replacements for any who lose their seats, which could enable him to dominate an institution intended to be independent and representative of popular will.
UN Perspective on Syria's Transition
Last week, UN Deputy Special Envoy Claudio Cordone addressed the Security Council, stating that Syria's transition was "at a critical phase, with opportunity and fragility existing side-by-side."
"Syria needs the People's Assembly to begin its work. And it needs all Syrians - in particular, Syria's women and its various components - to feel meaningfully represented in it," he said.
"The scale of the challenges facing this transitional parliament cannot be overstated. New laws need to be debated and adopted, executive actions need to be reviewed, diverse voices must be heard, and progress made on the transition."
Cordone reported progress in implementing the ceasefire agreement between the government and the SDF, noting that four SDF brigades integrated into government forces are receiving state salaries and that 1,300 detainees affiliated with the SDF have been released.
However, he warned that no progress had been made regarding the implementation of the roadmap for confidence-building and reintegration in Suweida. He highlighted that the underlying issues contributing to sectarian violence remain unresolved, including accountability measures, and cautioned that calls within Suweida for secession threaten Syria's unity and territorial integrity.
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