SYRIA TO ESTABLISH NEW PARLIAMENT- The 140 seats are distributed among 60 districts.
Syria is preparing to establish the first parliament since Bashar al-Assad was toppled,as a milestone in the transition under the new President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Regional committees have selected electoral colleges that will elect two-thirds of the 210-member People’s Assembly, on October 5. Sharaa appoints the remaining third. The authorities say they resorted to this system rather than universal suffrage due to a lack of reliable population data and displacement after years of war.
The criteria rule out supporters of the former regime, and advocates of “secession, division or seeking foreign intervention”. The 140 seats are distributed among 60 districts.
Citing security and political reasons, the authorities have postponed the process in areas controlled by a Kurdish-led administration in the northeast, which differs sharply with Sharaa over how Syria should be governed.
The Assembly can propose and approve laws. Its term is 30 months, renewable. It assumes legislative authority until a permanent constitution is adopted and elections are organized
