The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
October 7, 2025

Syria Establishes Parliament with Few Women and Minority Lawmakers
------------------------------------------------------------------

Syria has established its first parliament since longtime ruler Bashar
al-Assad was overthrown 10 months ago, ending a 12-year war. Many
Syrians welcomed this as a step forward after more than five decades of
dictatorship under the Assad family. But the process was also widely
criticized as undemocratic because the public did not directly vote for
the lawmakers. Local committees cast their ballots Sunday, while interim
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa will appoint at least a third of the
210-member assembly. There were also mounting concerns about the
underrepresentation of women and minority groups; only 4% of members of
the new transitional assembly are women.

In related news, the Syrian Army and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic
Forces have reportedly reached a ceasefire deal in Aleppo. This comes
after recent escalating tensions between the two groups and the killing
of a member of the Syrian security forces in an SDF attack.


.