Syria's New Parliament Convenes Inaugural Session, Lawmakers Outline Divergent Priorities

Syria's newly formed People's Assembly held its first session Sunday since the end of Bashar al-Assad's rule, electing leadership and revealing lawmakers' competing legislative priorities.

• Lawmaker Ahmad Mahmoud Abdullah prioritized enacting transitional justice legislation, citing its urgency for Syrians affected by the former regime's crimes.
• Lawmaker Mohammad al-Mudhib called for drafting a new constitution, noting Syria's societal diversity requires extended deliberation time.
• Lawmaker Mustafa Okosh identified education reform and investment promotion as top priorities, pledging to represent war-wounded Syrians.
• Lawmaker Fasla Yousef demanded electricity and water services for Hasaka province and advocated for a modern constitution guaranteeing all Syrians' rights, including Kurdish minority protections.

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The inaugural session also featured an address by President Ahmed al-Shara, who attended the proceedings. He called on the assembly to serve as a model of responsibility, dialogue, and the rule of law, framing the council as the beginning of a new era for Syria.

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In a subsequent development, an Al Jazeera public opinion survey indicated that Syrians viewed the inaugural session's absence of the customary applause for the president as a positive step toward democracy and free expression, contrasting with past practices under the former regime. Separately, Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri congratulated newly elected Syrian Speaker Abdul Hamid Akeel Al-Awak, expressing hope for Damascus's stability. During the session, Kurdish lawmaker Fasla Youssef drew attention by wearing traditional Kurdish attire and reciting the constitutional oath in both Arabic and Kurdish, sparking debate over whether the assembly's 10% female representation is substantive or merely symbolic.