Syria Transitional Parliament Opens First Session With 206 Members, Excluding Sweida Representatives

Syria's transitional parliament opened its first session on Sunday with 206 members present. The body is tasked with drafting a new constitution and laying groundwork for elections after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. Two-thirds of the 210 seats were filled by local committees appointed by an electoral commission named by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Sharaa appointed the remaining 70 members last week. Members from Druze-majority Sweida province were not among those seated, and one member died before the session began. Representatives were sworn in and elected Abdelhalim al-Awwak, a legal expert from Hasakeh province, as speaker with 99 votes.

Al-Awwak helped draft the temporary constitutional declaration adopted last year to cover the five-year transition. " Claudio Cordone, deputy UN special envoy for Syria, described the session as "a key milestone in the country's political transition" and said the UN would follow the parliament's work closely.

Syria's new authorities dissolved the previous legislature after toppling Assad in December 2024.

The parliament holds a renewable 30-month mandate that includes forming a constitution-drafting committee, approving the budget, and proposing laws.