DAMASCUS — Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa appointed 70 legislators to the Syrian Parliament on July 1, 2026. The Syrian Parliament consists of 210 members.

Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, head of Syria's electoral committee, stated that the new Parliament will hold its first meeting on Monday. Members are scheduled to be sworn in and the Parliament's presidential council will be elected at this initial meeting, al-Ahmad said. The Parliament will have a 30-month term and is tasked with working on a new elections law to prepare the ground for a popular vote in future elections, he added.

The list of 70 legislators appointed by Ahmad al-Sharaa included 15 women. Two representatives for the predominantly Druze region of Sweida were among the names released on July 1, 2026. Al-Ahmad stated that the selection of lawmakers for Sweida had been postponed until conditions become suitable. According to the United Nations, approximately 1,700 people were killed in clashes between government forces and Druze fighters in Sweida in July 2025.

Syria had been without a Parliament since an offensive by insurgents in December 2024. This offensive ended the Assad family's five-decade rule. Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander and member of Syria's Sunni Muslim majority, ousted Bashar al-Assad in 2024. His Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group led the December 2024 offensive; the group is now defunct. Two-thirds of the lawmakers in the new Parliament were chosen by regional electoral colleges in 2025. Ten of these seats went to members of religious and ethnic minorities, including Kurds, Christians, and Alawites.

Syria held the first phase of its parliamentary elections in October 2025, which excluded the southern province of Sweida and northeast Syria. A vote in northeast Syria occurred in May 2026, and no date has been set for a vote in Sweida. A temporary constitution introduced in March 2025 granted the Parliament limited powers. This includes the ability to propose and approve laws. The Parliament assumes legislative authority until a permanent constitution is adopted and elections are organized. There is no requirement for the Syrian government to win a parliamentary vote of confidence.

A coalition of Syrian rights organizations issued a statement that the electoral process risks undermining parliamentary independence and political pluralism. The coalition called for broader political participation, stronger safeguards for judicial independence and electoral oversight, and greater representation of women and Syria's diverse communities.