People's Assembly of Syria

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.^[2]

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.^[3] This led to the first Syrian legislative elections in 1928, which elected 68 representatives but was later disbanded on 5 February 1929.^[4] 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.^[5] 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.^[6][7] 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.^[8][9][10] After his ouster in 1954, parliamentary rule was restored, with the People's Party and Ba'ath Party gaining influence.^[11][12]

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.^[13]

Ba'athist rule

Following the 1963 coup, a 250-member People's Assembly largely served as a rubber stamp for the ruling Ba'athists.^[14] 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.^[15] 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.^[16]

In 2016, Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, Ph.D., representing Deir Ezzor since 2003, became the first woman elected to be the Speaker.^[17][18][19] In 2017, Hammouda Sabbagh became the first Syriac Orthodox Christian to have held the post.^[20]

Post-Assad regime

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.^[21]

On 11 December, the Ba'ath Party indefinitely halted all activities.^[22][23] The following day, the Syrian transitional government suspended the assembly and constitution for a three-month transitional period.^[24] 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.^[25] 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.^[26]