New Syrian Parliament Meets for First Time in Damascus

The new Syrian parliament convened for the first time on Sunday, 19 months after rebels led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa overthrew Bashar al-Assad.

In a speech to parliament in Damascus, Sharaa called on lawmakers to "make this council a model of responsibility and competence" and described it as "a platform for truth and justice". "Syria is writing a glorious history that reflects its heroism, and we face the responsibility of building both the nation and the individual", he said.

Under the country's interim governing arrangements, two-thirds of the 210-seat chamber were chosen last year by regional electoral colleges, while Sharaa named the remaining third on 1 July.

Abdel Halim al-Awak, a member of the committee that drafted the constitutional declaration, was elected speaker.

The chamber has 21 female lawmakers, 15 of whom were among those nominated by Sharaa. Authorities have not released a breakdown of how many lawmakers come from ethnic and religious minorities.

Unofficial tallies showed that 10 of the seats chosen last year went to members of religious and ethnic minorities, including Kurds, Christians, and Alawites.

(Reuters, im)