Syria's unelected parliament holds first session since Sharaa took power

Self-appointed President Ahmad al-Sharaa is consolidating his power in Syria through a rubber-stamp parliament and the shadow rule of religious sheikhs

12.07.2026

News Desk

Source: https://thecradle.co/articles/syrias-unelected-parliament-holds-first-session-since-sharaa-took-power

Syria's unelected parliament on 12 July held its first session since former Al-Qaeda leader Ahmed al-Sharaa took power in 2024, amid the absence of political parties and the powerful influence of Islamic sheikhs over the country's state institutions.

"I invite you to make this council a model of responsibility and competence, and to contribute to entrenching a culture of dialogue, the rule of law, and respect for institutions," Sharaa said during his speech at the session, state media reported.

"Syria today is writing a new history that expresses its civilization, values, and heritage — let us together make the history of modern Syria," Sharaa claimed.

The Cradle

@TheCradleMedia

Syria's new parliament holds first session since Assad's fall amid scrutiny over representation

——

Syria's unelected parliament on Sunday held its first session since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad, with self-appointed interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly Abu Show more

The session was opened by Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, head of Syria's Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections.

Parliament member Osama al-Assaf called on his counterparts to form a temporary legal committee to oversee the election process and establish regulations for electing the parliament speaker.

The 210-member legislature includes 70 lawmakers directly appointed by Sharaa, who will serve a renewable 30-month term.

The remaining 140 lawmakers were chosen by election committees whose members were also chosen by Sharaa and his advisers.

Sharaa's direct and indirect role in selecting lawmakers has drawn criticism from democracy advocates who note that the Syrian people have had no input into the election of the parliament.

Sharaa also appointed 15 additional women to the new legislature, increasing female representation in Syria's parliament from an initial 6 members to 21.

Anadolu English

@anadoluagency

Syria’s People’s Assembly holds first session since overthrow of Assad regime in late 2024

Lawmakers take oath of office in inaugural session, which has ceremonial character

Representatives from several foreign embassies also attend session as guests of honor Show more

Syrian officials have not clarified how many of the appointed lawmakers belong to ethnic or religious minorities.

Under Sharaa's rule, Syrian security forces have committed major massacres against the Alawite and Druze minority religious groups. In the city of Homs, Alawites are regularly abducted and killed, while the country's new authorities make no effort to prevent such crimes.

The US and its regional allies orchestrated street protests and an armed insurgency against the Syrian government starting in 2011. The support was justified under the pretext of ousting Bashar al-Assad, whom they described as a dictator, and establishing democracy.

However, after bringing Sharaa to power, the US and its allies have not called on Sharaa to allow the establishment of political parties or implement a democratic system in the country.

Instead, Sharaa, who appointed himself as president, has consolidated his rule by installing sheikhs into positions of authority over each Syrian municipality and other government institutions.

These sheikhs, who serve as a shadow government, previously served as "religious judges" and commanders in Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) armed group, which was formerly known as the Nusra Front, the official wing of Al-Qaeda in Syria.