Following the
fall of the Assad regime
On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...
in December 2024, a People's Assembly (, ) is expected to be formed in
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
. During the
Ba'athist era, the assembly consisted of 250 members elected for four-year terms across 15 multi-seat constituencies. In contrast, during the
transitional period, the assembly is composed of 150 members serving a renewable 30-month term. Of these, 100 members are elected by a higher committee across 14 multi-seat constituencies, while the remaining 50 are appointed by the
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
*'' Præsident ...
.
History
French Mandate
After the fall of the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
in 1918, the
Syrian National Congress was convened in May 1919 in Damascus. In September 1920,
Henri Gouraud,
High Commissioner of the Levant, formed a representative council, with two-thirds elected and one-third appointed by the French administration. On 28 June 1922, the
Syrian Federation
The Syrian Federation (; ), officially the Federation of the Autonomous States of Syria (), was constituted on 28 June 1922 by High Commissary Henri Gouraud (general), Gouraud. It comprised the States of State of Aleppo, Aleppo, State of Damascus ...
was established, creating a Federation Council of 15 members from various states. Due to the lack of elections, these members were appointed by the High Commissioner in 1923, and their terms were extended the following year.
In 1925, after the formation of the
State of Syria
The State of Syria (, ') was a French Mandate state created by decree of 5 December 1924, with effect from 1 January 1925, from the union of the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus. It was the successor of the Syrian Federation (1922� ...
, President
Ahmad Nami and High Commissioner
Henri Ponsot agreed to hold elections for a constituent assembly to draft a constitution. This led to the first Syrian legislative elections in 1928, which elected 68 representatives but was later disbanded on 5 February 1929. Article Thirty of the
1930 Constitution established a legislative authority known as the House of Representatives, with representatives elected for five-year terms. From the adoption of the constitution until its abolition in 1949, the number of representatives ranged from 68 to 136 members.
The first elections for the House of Representatives were held in December 1931 and January 1932. The first council met in June 1932 and facilitated a compromise that led to
Muhammad Ali Bey al-Abid's presidency. In the 1936 elections, the
National Bloc won the majority of seats in the House of Representatives, and
Hashim al-Atassi
Hashim al-Atassi (; 11 January 1875 – 5 December 1960) was a Syrian politician and statesman who served as the President of Syria on three occasions from 1936 to 1939, 1949 to 1951 and 1954 to 1955.
Background and early career
He was bo ...
was elected president. Concurrently, negotiations with France led to the independence treaty, ratified by the Syrian Parliament in December 1936. In 1938,
Fares Al-Khoury became the first
Christian
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
to be elected Speaker.
Post-Independence (1946–1963)

The first elections after independence were the
1947 parliamentary election, with the
People's Party winning a plurality but no absolute majority. In 1949, a series of military coups led to the dissolution of parliament and constitutional suspensions. A Constituent Assembly elected in 1949 drafted the
1950 Constitution, which strengthened parliamentary powers.
Adib al-Shishakli
Adib (also spelled Adeeb) (Arabic:أديب) is a given name and a surname meaning enlighted writer or one who practises '' adab''. Notable people having this name:
Given name Adeeb
* Adeeb (1934–2006), Pakistani film actor
* Adeeb Ahamed, Indi ...
's
1951 coup dissolved parliament, and his
1953 election, with only 16% turnout, created an 82-member legislature under a presidential system. After his ouster in 1954, parliamentary rule was restored, with the People's Party and
Ba'ath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party ( ' ), also known simply as Bath Party (), was a political party founded in Syria by Michel Aflaq, Salah al-Din al-Bitar, and associates of Zaki al-Arsuzi. The party espoused Ba'athism, which is an ideology ...
gaining influence.
In 1958, the Syrian parliament was replaced by the
UAR's National Assembly, where Syrians held one-third of the seats. Following Syria's withdrawal, the
1961 election restored parliamentary democracy.
Ba'athist rule
Following the
1963 coup, a 250-member People's Assembly largely served as a
rubber stamp for the ruling
Ba'athists. Only parties affiliated to the
National Progressive Front could participate in elections.
The
2012 elections, held on 7 May, resulted in a new parliament that, for the first time in four decades, was nominally based on a
multi-party system
In political science, a multi-party system is a political system where more than two meaningfully-distinct political parties regularly run for office and win elections. Multi-party systems tend to be more common in countries using proportional ...
. The opposition was represented by the
Popular Front for Change and Liberation
The Popular Front for Change and Liberation (, ''al-Jabha aš-š‘abiyya li'l-taghayyir wa'l-taḥrīr'') is a coalition of Syrian political parties. It briefly participated as the leader of the official political opposition within the People's ...
, winning 6 seats. It later boycotted the
2016 elections
Africa
Benin Republic
*2016 Beninese presidential election 6 March 2016
Cape Verde
* 2016 Cape Verdean presidential election 2 October 2016
Chad
* 2016 Chadian presidential election 10 April 2016
Djibouti
* 2016 Djiboutian presidential ...
as the government hadn't upheld its pledges to seek constitutional amendments and pursue political negotiations.
In 2016,
Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, Ph.D., representing
Deir Ezzor since 2003, became the first woman elected to be the Speaker. In 2017,
Hammouda Sabbagh became the first
Syriac Orthodox Christian to have held the post.
Post-Assad regime
Following the
fall of the Assad regime
On 8 December 2024, the Assad regime collapsed during a 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, major offensive by Syrian opposition, opposition forces. The offensive was spearheaded by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supported mainly by the Turk ...
on 8 December 2024, the assembly published a statement calling that day a "historic day in the lives of all Syrians", stating that it would work towards ensuring the upholding of the
rule of law
The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...
without
discrimination
Discrimination is the process of making unfair or prejudicial distinctions between people based on the groups, classes, or other categories to which they belong or are perceived to belong, such as race, gender, age, class, religion, or sex ...
. The statement included the new
coat of arms of Syria
The emblem of Syria is the unofficial emblem of Syria. It features a gold-coloured Hawk of Quraish faced to the left (dexter) with an Arabic shield in the centre inscribed with the official flag and two wheat stalks symbolising fertility and li ...
, adorned with the
flag of the Syrian opposition.
On 11 December, the Ba'ath Party indefinitely halted all activities. The following day, the
Syrian transitional government suspended the assembly and constitution for a three-month transitional period. The People's Assembly was dissolved on 29 January 2025 when plans to establish an interim legislative council were announced by the Syrian transitional government. Following the adoption of the
2025 Interim Constitution of Syria a provisional parliament called the People's Assembly was established with the president appointing one third of its members. A presidential decree issued on 2 June 2025 established the Higher Committee for People’s Assembly Elections. The 11-member committee is responsible for overseeing the formation of electoral sub-committees, which will elect two-thirds of the members of the People’s Assembly.
Sectarian representation
The representation of various sects in the Syrian parliament has evolved over time, influenced by both formal allocations and informal practices. The 1930 Constitution mandated fair representation for religious minorities in both parliament and top-tier government positions, similar to Lebanon's system. This allocation continued until 1949, when it was abolished by
Husni al-Za'im. The 1950 Constitution further eliminated sectarian seat allocations, though it maintained reserved seats for non-Muslims, such as
Christians
A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...
and
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
who had at least one representative in the 1920s, as well as for nomadic
Bedouins. Notably, seats designated for Bedouins were filled by tribal leaders rather than through elections. The
Yazidis
Yazidis, also spelled Yezidis (; ), are a Kurdish languages, Kurdish-speaking Endogamy, endogamous religious group indigenous to Kurdistan, a geographical region in Western Asia that includes parts of Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and Iran. The major ...
(around 13,000 people) were entirely excluded from parliamentary representation, as the Syrian state did not recognize their faith, classifying them as Sunni Muslims.
Furthermore,
Kurdish political representation in Syria was limited due to the denial of citizenship to many Kurds, particularly following the 1962 census.
Under
Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad (6 October 193010 June 2000) was a Syrian politician and military officer who was the president of Syria from 1971 until Death and state funeral of Hafez al-Assad, his death in 2000. He was previously the Prime Minister of Syria ...
's rule, which began in 1971, the Ba'ath Party dominated the political landscape. While the
1973 Constitution did not specify sectarian quotas, the regime maintained a balance to ensure representation of key groups. According to data from 2024, the 250 seats in the People's Council are distributed as follows:
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
Muslims (171 seats), reflecting their majority status in Syria's population,
Alawites
Alawites () are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism, a sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ''ghulat'' branch during the ninth century. Alawites venerate Ali ...
(39 seats), corresponding to their demographic proportion, Christians (23 seats), allocated across various provinces,
Druze
The Druze ( ; , ' or ', , '), who Endonym and exonym, call themselves al-Muwaḥḥidūn (), are an Arabs, Arab Eastern esotericism, esoteric Religious denomination, religious group from West Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic ...
(9 seats), with a significant number from the
Suwayda Governorate,
Shia
Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...
Muslims (5 seats),
Ismailis
Ismailism () is a branch of Shia Islam. The Isma'ili () get their name from their acceptance of Imam Isma'il ibn Jafar as the appointed spiritual successor ( imām) to Ja'far al-Sadiq, wherein they differ from the Twelver Shia, who accept M ...
(2 seats),
Murshidites (1 seat).
Last election
The last elections were held on the 15 July 2024. The
National Progressive Front won 185 out of 250 seats, 169 of which were for the Ba'ath Party, while 65
Independents held the rest of the seats.
Names of legislature
The name of the legislature in Syria has changed, as follows, as has the composition and functions:
* Under the
Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (1917–1920)
**
Syrian National Congress (1919–1920)
*
Arab Kingdom of Syria
The Syrian Arab Kingdom (, ') was a self-proclaimed, unrecognized monarchy existing briefly in the territory of Bilad al-Sham, historical Syria. It was announced on 5 October 1918 as a fully independent Arab constitutional government with the perm ...
(1920)
**
Syrian National Congress (1920)
*
State of Syria
The State of Syria (, ') was a French Mandate state created by decree of 5 December 1924, with effect from 1 January 1925, from the union of the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus. It was the successor of the Syrian Federation (1922� ...
, part of the French Mandate (1922–1930)
** Constituent Council (1923–1925)
** Constituent Assembly (1924–1930)
*
First Syrian Republic (1930–50)
** Council of Representatives (1932–1933)
** Chamber of Deputies (1932–1946)
** House of Representatives (1947–1949)
*
Second Syrian Republic (1950–58)
** Constituent Assembly (1949–1951)
** Chamber of Deputies (1953–1958)
*
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)
** Chamber of Deputies (1958–1960)
*
Second Syrian Republic (1961–63)
** Chamber of Deputies (1961–1963)
*
Ba'athist Syria (1961–2024)
** National Revolutionary Council (1963–1966)
** People's Assembly (1971–2024)
*
Syria (2024–present)
** People's Assembly (2024–present)
See also
*
Speaker of the People's Assembly of Syria
*
Politics of Syria
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
External links
People's Assembly of Syria''official government website''
People's Assembly of Syriaon Facebook
*
{{National unicameral legislatures
Government of Syria
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
History of Syria
Syria (region)