Syrian authorities have postponed the inaugural meeting of the new transitional parliament that was scheduled for Monday, state television confirmed on Sunday, according to reports from Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press. A state television broadcast citing an unnamed electoral official formally announced that the convening of the first session of the people`s assembly has been put off to a date to be determined later, without providing any official reason or explanation for the sudden delay. Syria`s new governing authorities previously dissolved the country`s long-standing legislature after successfully toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The dramatic political shift followed nearly 14 years of devastating civil war that resulted in the deaths of approximately half a million people and displaced millions of citizens across the Middle East.
In March 2025, the newly appointed President Ahmed al-Sharaa signed a temporary national constitution designed to remain in force throughout a five-year transitional period. By October of the same year, local committees appointed by the independent electoral commission, which was established directly by al-Sharaa, initiated the process of selecting two-thirds of the 210 total members of the new parliament. President al-Sharaa completed the legislative selection framework this week by directly appointing the remaining one-third, consisting of 70 members, to the assembly. However, the Druze-majority Suwayda province located in the southern part of the country has still not designated its legislative representatives following severe sectarian bloodshed that occurred there last year.
The national electoral commission stated that the selection process would be held in the southern region as soon as local security conditions are deemed appropriate by the state. Earlier this year, the selection process successfully concluded in the formerly Kurdish-run areas of the north and northeast after the central government in Damascus assumed administrative control and signed an integration agreement to merge Kurdish institutions into the state apparatus. The newly formed legislative body will serve a designated 30-month term to draft a comprehensive new national elections law while preparing the essential groundwork for an eventual popular vote, according to the head of the electoral committee, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad. What remains unclear is whether the abrupt delay of the opening parliamentary session stems from minor administrative hurdles or deeper political disagreements among the country`s transition leadership.
