Selection or Election: An Analytical Reading of the Formation of the People’s Assembly
Date: October 2025
The paper “Selection or Election: An Analytical Reading of the Formation of the People’s Assembly” examines Syria’s post-2025 transitional legislative process following the fall of the regime and the Victory Conference that appointed Ahmed al-Sharaa as transitional president. It argues that the People’s Assembly was not democratically elected but rather selectively formed under presidential authority, through decrees that allowed the executive to dominate the process. Legal inconsistencies, the absence of a Constitutional Court, vague criteria, exclusion of judges, and lack of transparency undermined legitimacy. Three governorates (al-Suwayda, al-Raqqa, and al-Hasaka) were excluded, while women’s representation fell below legal quotas. The Assembly became politically homogenous and unrepresentative, limiting its oversight role. The report concludes that Syria’s transition requires completing national dialogue, reforming the Constitutional Declaration, ensuring judicial independence, strengthening women’s and civil society’s participation, and creating an impartial electoral commission to restore balance and legitimacy to governance.
