NEW SYRIAN PARLIAMENT MEETS FOR FIRST TIME IN DAMASCUS

Syria's new People's Assembly held its inaugural session in Damascus on Sunday, more than 18 months after Bashar al-Assad was toppled by rebel forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, now the country's president. Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, The National, SANA and Middle East Monitor reported that members took the constitutional oath during the first sitting of the new chamber. The session marked a formal step in Syria's political transition after a 14-year civil war that killed more than half a million people and left state institutions, public services and political life deeply damaged.

The assembly was scheduled to elect a speaker, two deputy speakers and a secretary by secret ballot and majority vote, according to the source set. Reuters reported that Abdel Halim al-Awak, a member of the committee that drafted the constitutional declaration, was elected speaker with 99 votes. The chamber has 210 seats under Syria's transitional arrangements. Two-thirds of its members were chosen last year by regional electoral colleges, while the remaining third were appointed by Sharaa on July 1. That structure has been presented by the transitional authorities as a temporary mechanism while the country rebuilds conditions for broader political participation.

The representation of women in the new chamber remains limited. The assembly includes 21 female lawmakers, 15 of them among Sharaa's nominees, according to the source set. That means most of the women in the chamber entered through the presidential appointment portion rather than the electoral-college seats. Reuters reported that the parliament also includes minorities, though the exact breakdown is not fully official. Those details matter because the new assembly is being asked to help define Syria's post-Assad political order, and representation will be closely watched by Syrians, civil society groups and foreign governments.

The assembly's central task is to draft a new constitution and help lay foundations for democratic institutions after years of war and authoritarian rule. AP reported that the chamber is intended to help prepare Syria for future elections and legislative reforms. Reuters reported that the parliament has limited powers under a temporary constitutional declaration but can propose and pass laws and is tasked with drafting a permanent constitution. The practical test will be whether the assembly can operate as more than a transitional body chosen under constrained conditions, especially while parts of the country remain outside full government control or heavily affected by war damage.

Sharaa urged members to "make this assembly a model of responsibility and competence," and to help foster "a culture of dialogue, the rule of law and respect for institutions," according to the source set. He also called for a "new chapter" in Syrian political life. Those statements are the president's framing of the session and should be treated as government claims about the transition's direction. The new leadership has presented the assembly as a step toward reconstruction and institutional legitimacy, while critics have warned that the appointment system gives the presidency significant influence over the chamber.

The opening session took place under tight security only days after two bomb blasts in Damascus during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit. Deputies were moved from hotels to the parliament hall under heightened protection, according to the source set. The blasts, which occurred near the Four Seasons Hotel and the Ministry of Tourism, killed one person and wounded dozens, according to earlier reporting. Syrian authorities later said they had arrested members of an Islamic State-linked cell accused of carrying out the bombings, though that link remains a government allegation unless independently confirmed. The security measures around the parliament session underline how fragile the capital's return to diplomatic and political routine remains.

The session also carries diplomatic weight. Syria's transitional government is trying to show foreign governments that it can rebuild institutions, manage security threats and move toward a more inclusive political order. That effort is happening while the country remains shaped by displacement, sanctions, reconstruction needs, armed groups, regional pressure and unresolved questions about accountability for the war. The first meeting of the People's Assembly does not settle those issues. It creates a formal political venue through which the transitional authorities say they will pursue constitutional drafting and future democratic foundations.

The next developments to watch are the speaker's agenda, the formation of parliamentary committees, the timetable for constitutional drafting and any response from opposition groups, Kurdish authorities, civil society organizations or foreign governments. For now, the verified public record is that Syria's new People's Assembly has met for the first time in Damascus, taken the constitutional oath and begun work under a transitional system shaped by both electoral-college selections and presidential appointments.

Fact-check date: 12 July 2026
Article type: News
Sources: Reuters, AP, Al Jazeera, The National, SANA, Middle East Monitor