Syria's newly elected People's Assembly convened its inaugural session on Sunday and elected its first speaker, marking the launch of the first legislative body formed since the ousting of former president Bashar al-Assad.
The session comes under the Constitutional Declaration outlining the country's five-year transitional period until a permanent constitution is adopted and general elections are held.
The proceedings were opened by Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad , head of the Supreme Committee for People's Assembly Elections, while members of parliament were sworn in.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led the rebel offensive that ousted Assad in December 2024, was present at the inauguration.
In a speech , Sharaa said Syria was "writing a glorious chapter in its history that reflects the heroism of its people," adding that the country faced "a responsibility to build both the nation and the individual" and that "we are partners in this responsibility."
He described the assembly as "a platform for truth and justice" and called for it to become "a model of responsibility and competence" that would help entrench "a culture of dialogue, the rule of law and respect for institutions."
Al-Ahmad described the session as "historic", saying it represented "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."
The assembly's oldest member, Osama al-Assaf, then invited members to form a temporary legal committee to oversee the election process, supervise the vote count, and establish the procedures for electing the parliament's presidential bureau.
Parliament Speaker elected
The inaugural session marks the transition from the assembly’s formation to the exercise of its constitutional powers.
It began with Al-Ahmad, inviting lawmakers to take the constitutional oath, after which the oldest member chaired the session on an interim basis, while the youngest member served as secretary until the election of the assembly's leadership.
Following the oath, lawmakers formally assumed their seats, and responsibility for the assembly passed from the Supreme Committee to the legislators themselves, marking the first practical exercise of the legislature's institutional independence.
Lawmakers then proceeded to elect a speaker, deputy speaker, and two secretaries in a secret ballot, formally launching the new parliamentary term.
Under the temporary electoral law, the newly elected speaker, Abdulhamid Al-Awak , will later invite Sharaa to address parliament in a future session, during which he is expected to outline the state's priorities and agenda for the next phase of the transition.
Controversial 'presidential third'
This follows the completion of the 207-member assembly after Sharaa appointed 70 lawmakers under what is known as the "presidential third", while three seats allocated to the southern province of Suweida remain vacant after the electoral process there could not be completed.
The southern Druze-majority province largely remains outside government control following deadly sectarian violence a year ago that saw more than 1,700 people killed.
The new parliament was established under the Constitutional Declaration and the temporary electoral law issued under Decree No. 143 of 2025. The law stipulates a 210-member assembly, with two-thirds selected by electoral bodies formed in each province and the remaining third appointed by the president.
According to the Supreme Committee, the system was designed to meet the needs of the transitional period by combining local representation with the inclusion of academic, legal, and administrative figures who are unlikely to reach parliament through the indirect electoral process.
Critics have described the appointments as undemocratic, arguing they set a troubling precedent for the country's post-Assad transition.
Despite the controversy surrounding the appointment of the "presidential third" – particularly over the selection process and the level of representation – the Supreme Committee said the appointments were based on criteria including competence, experience, and diversity.
The committee said the selections were intended to strengthen the representation of women, Kurds, displaced Syrians, and the families of those killed during the conflict, as well as former detainees. It also included academic, legal, and economic figures expected to contribute to drafting legislation for the transitional period.
What challenges does the assembly face?
During the transitional period, the Assembly will wield broad legislative and oversight powers, including the authority to propose, pass, amend, and repeal legislation, approve the state budget, ratify international treaties and grant general amnesties.
It will also be responsible for holding the government to account through questioning ministers, convening parliamentary hearings, and overseeing the performance of the executive branch.
Despite the powers granted to the assembly, analysts say its greatest challenge will be establishing its independence from the executive powers of government – the president and cabinet – and avoiding a return to the dynamic that prevailed under the Assad regime, when parliament had little influence over policymaking.
The assembly also faces other challenges, including completing representation for some areas, most notably Suweida province, and rebuilding public trust in the legislature after years in which the People's Assembly was widely viewed as a rubber-stamp institution under Assad.
The assembly will begin its work as Syria's new authorities seek to stabilise the country after more than a decade of conflict and political upheaval.
After more than 14 years of civil war, Sharaa continues to grapple with sectarian tensions and security challenges that underscore the fragility of Syria's post-Assad transition. The conflict, which began when Assad's forces violently suppressed anti-regime protests before spiralling into a multifaceted war involving foreign powers and militant groups, devastated the country's economy and infrastructure.