Syrian Arab Republic - October 2025
Syria holds indirect parliamentary elections for transitional period
On 5 October, Syria held indirect parliamentary elections to fill 119 of the 210 seats in the new People’s Assembly, the country’s unicameral parliament, which will serve a 30-month transitional term. Under a temporary electoral law issued in August, two-thirds of the seats were to be chosen through electoral colleges, while the remaining third would be appointed by President Al-Sharaa. Approximately 6,000 electoral-college members (selected via district subcommittees) voted for 1,578 pre-listed candidates, 14 per cent of whom were women. Voting did not take place in the governorates of Sweida, Raqqa, and Al-Hasakah due to insecurity and lack of full government control. Only six women were elected among the 119 seats, suggesting that Al-Sharaa may need to appoint additional women to meet the 20 per cent quota established under the temporary electoral law. Al-Sharaa has not yet made his 70 appointments, and the 21 seats in governorates where elections were postponed remain vacant.
Update: On 17 March 2026, follow-up parliamentary elections were held in Raqqa, and on 24 May, in Al-Hasakah, resulting in the election of 13 additional MPs. After President Ahmad al-Sharaa appointed 70 members, among them 15 women, the newly constituted 206-seat People's Assembly, comprising a total of 22 women (10.7 percent), convened its inaugural session on 12 July. Four seats remained vacant: three allocated to Sweida and one following the death of an elected member.
Sources: Syrian Arab News Agency (1), Al Jazeera, The New Arab, Arab Reform Initiative, Enab Baladi, Associated Press, Syrian Arab News Agency (2), Al Monitor, Reuters, IPU Parline
