2025 Syrian parliamentary election

2025 Syrian parliamentary election

15–20 September 2025 (2025-09-15 – 2025-09-20)
140 of the 210 members in the People's Assembly 106 seats needed for a majority
Seat distribution by governorate

Parliamentary elections are scheduled to be held in Syria between 15–20 September 2025 to elect 140 of the 210 members of the People's Assembly of Syria, the country’s national legislature. The election will be the first held since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 and is being conducted under the authority of the Syrian transitional government led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Unlike previous elections in Syria, the 2025 election will be held under a provisional, indirect electoral system. Of the 210 seats, 140 members of the People's Assembly (MPAs) will be filled through a district-based electoral college system, with MPAs selected by local committees composed of experts and community figures. The remaining 70 MPAs will be appointed directly by the president, with no seats being elected by direct popular vote.

Background

The People’s Assembly of Syria is the country’s unicameral legislature. Under previous governments, including that of Bashar al-Assad, the Assembly was often viewed as little more than a rubber-stamp legislature, passing legislation that aligned with the ruling Ba'ath Party's interests.

Following the 2024 Syrian opposition offensives, political changes in Syria, and the transition to a new governance model, the People's Assembly elected in the July 2024 Syrian parliamentary election was dissolved on 29 January 2025 and replaced by an interim Legislative Council. Following the adoption of the 2025 Interim Constitution of Syria, a provisional parliament called the People's Assembly was established with the president appointing one third of MPAs. On 2 June 2025, Presidential Decree 66 was issued, which established the Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections. The 11-member committee is responsible for overseeing the formation of electoral sub-committees, which will elect two-thirds of the MPAs.

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said that there was a lack of infrastructure to allow for direct election, and Syrian Human Rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni said that "the absence of political work, parties, and political activism", in addition to the need to register displaced people and deceased people, as well as the Assad regime granting citizenship to large numbers of Iranian militants, meaning that the indirect system was 'logical' until the infrastructure for direct elections could be established, which could take up to four years to organise.

Electoral system

The 2025 elections are being held under a temporary electoral system.

Number of MPAs

According to the Higher Committee, the People’s Assembly will comprise 210 MPAs, with 140 MPAs (two thirds) being elected and the remaining 70 MPAs (a third) being appointed by the President of Syria. The Higher Committee chair emphasised that the seats appointed by the president were to be reserved for "highly skilled technocrats to fill gaps that may arise from the electoral process and ensure diverse representation". Originally, 150 MPAs were planned to be seated, with 100 MPAs being elected and 50 MPAs being appointed, however this was announced to have changed on 27 July 2025.

Electorate

The temporary electoral framework replaces direct elections, used under the former regime, with an indirect system. Instead of direct votes, subcommittees will form local electoral colleges, which in turn will choose MPAs. According to the committee, this approach is intended to suit the transitional and legislative—not representative—nature of the new parliament due to the lack of infrastructure, such as reliable census data and voter registration to conduct direct elections. The aim is to select technocrats and academics: 70% of the MPAs will be academics or experts, 30% will be notable community figures (preferably with academic qualifications as well).

Each governorate's electoral subcommittee will nominate 30-50 people per district, forming a local electoral college, from which a single parliamentary representative will be elected. There are 65 administrative districts of Syria, and 14 subcommittees will be formed, one per governorate.

Equality

To discuss views and proposals, the Higher Committee met with several groups including:

• the Syrian Women’s Advisory Council
• representatives of unions and syndicates
• Patriarch Aphrem II
• civil society
• the Journalists Union
• a delegation from Daraa

Syrian human rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni also suggested that the president could appoint MPAs to counter any lost balance for marginalised groups from the election committees.

Constituencies

The committee has expressed a desire to hold elections throughout Syria, including areas under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces, those being the Raqqa and al-Hasakah governorates. If elections in those regions are not feasible, the committee may work with local dignitaries and notables to ensure participation through indirect methods.

The seats are elected on the basis of governorates, with each governorate subdivided into districts that function as constituencies. Committee member Mohammed Wali stated that "Each [governorate] has several areas, each area produces several members of parliament".

Seat distribution by governorate

1. Aleppo (20)
2. Damascus (11)
3. Rif Dimashq (10)
4. Homs (9)
5. Hama (8)
6. Idlib (7)
7. Latakia (6)
8. Deir Ezzor (6)
9. al-Hasakah (6)
10. Tartus (5)
11. Daraa (4)
12. Raqqa (3)
13. As-Suwayda (3)
14. Quneitra (2)

Date

The committee has estimated that the process of electing MPAs will take 60 to 90 days to complete, starting in June 2025 and ending in August 2025. The election will take place on the same day across all of Syria, originally estimated to be at the end of August, however the date chosen will be between 15 and 20 September.

A presidential decree will be issued to set up the processes for the elections. The committee chair stated that the decree includes membership conditions, campaign mechanisms, a code of conduct for voters and candidates, and provisions ensuring women’s participation of at least 20%.

Term

The committee has also estimated that MPAs will serve an expected term of five years. However, elections are supposed to be renewed after 30 months, since the term of the People’s Assembly is set at 30 months in accordance with the constitutional declaration. This means that although the committee’s mandate was initially conceived as a longer-term assignment, it remains subject to the legislative cycle established by the constitutional framework.

Candidacy

According to the committee chair, candidates must:

• be at least 25 years old,
• have a good reputation and conduct,
• not have been convicted of a dishonourable crime,
• be legally competent and not under financial restrictions.
• be a Syrian citizen for at least 10 years.

Monitoring

The committee chair stated that, to maximise transparency, the election will be monitored by and international organisations with the committee’s coordination, having full freedom to contest lists and results.

Reactions and analysis

Syrian Human Rights lawyer Anwar al-Bunni, director of the Syrian Centre for Legal Studies and Research, has described the process as a pragmatic step given Syria’s current conditions. He acknowledged the lack of infrastructure and civil documentation, and emphasized the importance of including civil society and local leadership in transitional governance structures. Al-Bunni noted that this Assembly's decisions could be subject to future review, amendment, or repeal once popular elections are feasible.

• European Union Chargé d'affaires for Syria, Michael Unmacht, said that the European Union welcomed the formation of the Supreme Election Committee, and that the European Union would offer its expertise in support of the transitional legislative authority.
• United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Otto Pedersen, also welcomed the announcement of the formation of the Supreme Election Committee.

See also

• 2025 Interim Constitution of Syria