Syria’s new parliament holds first session since Assad’s ouster
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- Syria’s newly formed parliament convenes for the first time since the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
- The 210-member People’s Assembly will serve a 30-month term while preparing national elections.
- Lawmakers elect Abdul Hamid al-Awak, a former Justice Ministry judge who defected early from the Assad government, as speaker.
DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria’s newly elected parliament held its first session Sunday since the ouster of former President Bashar Assad, hoping to restart the legislative process in the country after years of conflict and autocratic rule.
The launch of the parliament indicates Syria is moving ahead with drafting new laws as it recovers from decades of brutal rule under the Assad family and a civil war that killed about half a million people.
Two-thirds of the 210-member People’s Assembly was elected through electoral colleges, while one-third was appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The parliament will serve a 30-month term while preparing for future elections.
“After liberating our homeland and regaining our freedom, we are all moving toward consolidating the state,” Al-Sharaa said in an address to members of parliament.
After taking an oath, the legislators elected Abdul Hamid al-Awak as speaker. Al-Awak, who is from the northeastern province of Hasakah, served as a judge in the Justice Ministry for a decade, according to Syria’s state-run SANA news agency. Reports said he was among many Syrian officials who defected from the Assad government in the early days of the uprising and fled to Turkey.
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