New Syrian Parliament convenes in Damascus for first session

According to the Reuters news agency, 21 women belong to the parliament, corresponding to a share of roughly ten percent. 15 of the 21 women were nominated by Sharaa. Syrian MP Nour Jandali expressed hope: "Ich hoffe, eines Tages wird man sagen, dieses Parlament hat einen Grundstein für ein Syrien gelegt, von dem wir lange geträumt haben".

Criticism over lack of opposition and women's quota

The absence of an opposition is a central point of criticism. Kristian Brakel, responsible for Syria at the Heinrich Böll Foundation, says of the deputies: "Man kann nicht sagen, dass jetzt alle von denen nur Claqueure der aktuellen Interimsregierung wären. Aber was man auch nicht sieht, sind Personen, die in starker Opposition zur Regierung stehen."

The representation of religious minorities is also considered insufficient. The Druze are the most weakly represented; according to Brakel, only a single deputy belongs to them, who moreover is said to enjoy little support within his own faith community.

Powers under the 2025 constitutional declaration

The new People's Assembly comes into being on the basis of a provisional constitutional declaration from 2025, according to which the government is not required to face a vote of confidence from parliament. The oversight rights of the deputies vis-à-vis the transitional government are thus formally limited.

Brakel also stressed that the members of the chamber cannot be uniformly classified as loyal to the government. "Am wichtigsten ist jedoch: Diese Teilhabe muss auf Kompetenz beruhen und der Fähigkeit, Ergebnisse zu liefern, dem Land und seinen Bürgern zu dienen." He also personally hoped that more women would move into leadership roles.

Since the fall of Assad in December 2024, many people in Syria have enjoyed greater freedoms than before. The formation of parliament marks a further step in the transitional process, which is being closely followed by international observers. Regarding the appointment of individual deputies, Brakel said: "Seine Hauptqualifikation ist, dass er sich nach dem Fall von Damaskus sehr schnell al-Scharaa angedient haben soll."

The chairman of the national election commission stated that the selection of deputies had been completed after a lengthy process. The constituent session was broadcast on Deutschlandfunk on July 12, 2026. Reports on the opening said the future work of the People's Assembly would show whether it could truly become a foundation for a new Syria.

With regard to the women's quota of ten percent, Brakel said: "Zehn Prozent – also von einer gleichberechtigten Repräsentation von Frauen kann natürlich da nicht die Rede sein." The criticism of the parliament's composition thus relates both to political plurality and to gender distribution.

The transitional president stressed in his speech that he was confident the members of the People's Assembly were aware of their national responsibility. The coming months are regarded as decisive for whether the parliament can meet the expectations of the population.