# People's Assembly of Syria

Following the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, a People's Assembly (Arabic: مَجْلِس الشَّعْب, ALA-LC: Majlis ash-Shaʻb) is expected to be formed in Syria. Previously the name People's Assembly was used by the legislature of Syria during the Ba'athist period. This assembly had 250 members elected for a four-year term in 15 multi-seat constituencies.

## History
### French Mandate

After the fall of the Ottoman Empire 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 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, 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 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 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'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 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. The opposition was represented by the Popular Front for Change and Liberation, winning 6 seats. It later boycotted the 2016 elections 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

Following the fall of the Assad regime 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 without discrimination. The statement included the new coat of arms of Syria, 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.

## 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 and Jews 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 (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'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 Muslims (171 seats), reflecting their majority status in Syria's population, Alawites (39 seats), corresponding to their demographic proportion, Christians (23 seats), allocated across various provinces, Druze (9 seats), with a significant number from the Suwayda Governorate, Shia Muslims (5 seats), Ismailis (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 (1920)
** Syrian National Congress (1920)
* State of Syria, 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)