Syria moved closer to restoring its legislative institutions on Wednesday as interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa appointed 70 members to the country's first Parliament since the fall of the Assad government.

The appointments complete the formation of the 210-member legislature, marking another step in Syria's political transition following the end of the Assad family's decades-long rule and years of conflict that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, head of Syria's electoral committee, said the new Parliament will convene for its inaugural session on Monday. During the first sitting, members will take the oath of office and elect the Parliament's leadership.

Among the 70 lawmakers appointed by al-Sharaa are 15 women, increasing the total number of female legislators in the assembly to 22.

The first phase of parliamentary elections was held in October but excluded the southern province of Sweida, where Druze armed groups opposed to the central government remain influential, as well as northeastern Syria, which was then under Kurdish control.

Elections were later held in northeastern Syria in May after government forces regained control of the region following intense clashes earlier this year.

Although voting has yet to take place in Sweida, al-Sharaa included two representatives from the predominantly Druze province in his latest appointments.

According to al-Ahmad, the new Parliament will serve a 30-month term. Its key responsibilities will include drafting a new electoral law and laying the groundwork for future nationwide elections.

Syria has been without a functioning Parliament since the December 2024 offensive led by al-Sharaa's former Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, which toppled the Assad family's more than five decades in power.