The Illusion of Representation in Syria’s New Parliament

Outside Syria’s parliament building in Damascus, lawmakers filed past the stone façade for the chamber’s first session since Bashar al-Assad’s fall. Inside, the freshly minted lawmakers stood to take the constitutional oath as President Ahmad al-Sharaa looked on. The ceremony was carefully staged to show both Syrians and foreign observers that independent political institutions have returned after more than half a century of Assad family rule.