Name? Ahmed al-Sharaa
Westphalian identity? Syrian
Age? 43
Why is he in the news? Ahmed al-Sharaa, interim President of Syria, nominated 70 members of parliament out of the 210 seats. The parliamentary elections took place in three phases, which began in October 2025 and ended today. After the indirect elections in October, al-Sharaa recognised the underrepresentation of Syria’s gender and ethno-religious diversity in parliament and used the presidential nominations to bring balance by appointing 15 more women. The parliament will be responsible for organizing presidential elections in Syria during a term of 30 months, ensuring the transition from post-Bashar al-Assad’s period to a new Syrian government.
Why do we care? Although al-Sharaa’s direct nominations were more diverse, he selected loyalists and individuals from minorities that more closely aligned with his government. The electoral colleges in charge of the indirect elections were established by al-Sharaa and the appointees did not fairly represent their communities. As a result, the parliament is mainly constituted of actors aligned with al-Sharaa.
Why should you care? This is the first attempt to rebuild a legislative body since the fall of the Assad government, signalling that the country is ready to recover from decades of autocratic rule. Although representation remains uneven, it brings some legitimacy to the Syrian government.
Who else cares? Erdoğan holds close ties with al-Sharaa’s government, sharing intelligence and weapons. Al-Sharaa’s transition government works with Erdoğan to suppress the AANES at the border with Turkey. Erdoğan wants to decrease the threat of the Kurdish militias in the SDF and the influence of the PKK which pose a security threat for Turkey. Syria’s elections excluded the main Kurdish political and military group from al-Sharaa’s parliament, helping al-Sharaa decrease their political power in the region.
Any further comments? Al-Sharaa did not hold elections in the Kurdish north-east and Druze Suweida regions because of security issues caused by sectarian violence; thus excluding these minorities from his government.
