Syria selects members of first post-Assad parliament in contested process | International

DAMASCUS, Oct 5, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Syria will select members of its first post-Assad parliament on Sunday in a process criticised as undemocratic, with a third of the members appointed by interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa. The assembly's formation is set to consolidate the power of Sharaa, whose Islamist forces led a coalition that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war and five decades of one-family rule. According to the organising committee, more than 1,500 candidates -- just 14 percent of them women -- are running for the assembly, which will have a renewable 30-month mandate. Sharaa is to appoint 70 representatives out of the 210-member body. The other two-thirds will be selected...