Type Unicameral Length of term 4 years | Seats 250 Last election 13 April 2016 | |
 | ||
Speaker Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
Since 6 June 2016 Political groups NPF (200)
Independents (50) | ||
The People's Council (Arabic: مجلس الشعب, Majlis al-Sha'ab) is Syria's legislative authority. It has 250 members elected for a four-year term in 15 multi-seat constituencies. There are two main political fronts; the National Progressive Front and Popular Front for Change and Liberation. The 2012 elections, held on 7 May, resulted in a new parliament that, for the first time in four decades, is based on a multi-party system. In 2016 Hadiya Khalaf Abbas, Ph.D., representing Deir Ezzor since 2003, became the first woman elected to be the Speaker.
Contents
Latest elections
The last elections 13.4.2016. Parliamentary election was on 7 May 2012 and the results were announced on 15 May.
The Ba'ath party won an even larger victory than it did in previous elections. They won a majority of around 60% of the 250 parliamentary seats. Previously, the Baath had a majority of just over 50% of the seats in parliament. If one adds in the independent MPs aligned with the Ba'ath Party, the MPs who support the president make up over 90% of the seats in new parliament. The National Unity List, which is dominated by the Syrian Baath Party, won 134 seats in the 245 member parliament. Independent individuals 72 seats. The Front for Change and Liberation won 5 seats. Among the newly established opposition parties (established since August 2011), only one single seat was won, namely a seat in Aleppo won by the Syrian Democratic Party, Ahmad Koussa. In addition three representatives of longstanding opposition parties and coalitions have been elected to Parliament: Qadri Jamil (leader of the People's Will Party, former Syrian Communist Party Kassioun wing) and Ali Haydar(leader of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party) from the Front for Change and Liberation, and Amro Osi from the Initiative of Syrian Kurds.
Names of legislature
The name of the legislature in Syria has changed, as follows, as has the composition and functions: