Major General James G. Blunt

The Speaker of the People's Assembly of Syria (Arabic: رئيس مجلس الشعب السوري, romanizedRaʼīs Majlis ash-Shaʻb as-Sūrī) represents the People's Assembly, Syria's legislature,[1] signs documents and speaks on its behalf.[2] Throughout its history, the Speaker has been responsible for representing the Assembly. As of 2017, 30 different people have served as speakers.

Election

A People's Assembly is elected every fourth calendar year.[3] The first meeting of a newly elected People's Assembly is responsible for electing its Speaker.[4]

Powers

The People's Assembly should meet at least three times a year, the Speaker has the power to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Assembly.[5] The guards of the People's Assembly are under the authority of the Speaker.[2]

Presidential elections

60 days before the term of the President expires, the Speaker calls for new elections.[6] All presidential candidates have to be approved personally by the Speaker.[6] If only one candidate is acceptable, the Speaker is supposed to postpone the elections.[6] The election result is to be announced when the results have been counted.[7]

List of officeholders

Syria under the Occupied Enemy Territory Administration (1917–1920)

President of the Syrian National Congress (1919–1920)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Hashim al-Atassi
(1875–1960)
11 December 1919 17 July 1920 National Bloc 1
(1919)
1st convocation
(1919–1920)
2 Rashid Rida
(1865–1935)[8][9]
1920 1920 Independent 1
(1920)
2nd convocation
(1919–1920)

State of Syria, part of the French Mandate (1922–1930)

Speaker of the Constituent Council (1923–1925)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Badih Muayyad al-Azm
(1870–1960)
12 November 1923 14 July 1925 Independent 1
(1923)
1st convocation
(1923–1928)

Speaker of the Constituent Assembly (1924–1930)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Hashim al-Atassi
(1875–1960)
11 August 1928 6 September 1928 National Bloc 1
(1928)
1st convocation
(1928)

Syrian Republic (1930–1946)

Chairman of the Council of Representatives (1932–1933)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Barakat al-Khaldi 7 June 1932 25 November 1933 Independent 1
(1932)
1st convocation
(1932–1933)

President of the Chamber of Deputies (1932–1946)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Subhi Barakat
(1889–1939)
January 1932 1932 Independent 1
(1932)
2nd convocation
(1932–1936)
2 Fares al-Khoury
(1877–1962)
21 November 1936 8 July 1939 National Bloc 1
(1936)
3rd convocation
(1936–1943)
Vacant (1939–1943)
2 Fares al-Khoury
(1877–1962)
17 August 1943 17 October 1944 National Bloc 2
(1943)
4th convocation
(1943–1947)
3 Saadallah al-Jabiri
(1893–1947)
17 October 1944 15 September 1945 National Bloc 1
(1943)
4th convocation
(1943–1947)
2 Fares al-Khoury
(1877–1962)
16 September 1945 22 October 1946 National Bloc 1
(1943)
4th convocation
(1943–1947)

Syrian Republic (1946–1958)

Speaker of the House of Representatives (1947–1949)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
2 Fares al-Khoury
(1877–1962)
27 September 1947 31 March 1949 National Bloc
People's Party
2
(1947)
5th convocation
(1947–1949)

Speaker of the Constituent Assembly (1949–1951)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
4 Rushdi al-Kikhya
(1899–1987)
12 December 1949 22 June 1951 People's Party 1
(1949)
6th convocation
(1949–1953)
5 Maarouf al-Dawalibi
(1909–2004)
23 June 1951 30 September 1951 People's Party 1
(1949)
6th convocation
(1949–1953)
6 Nazim al-Qudsi
(1906–1998)
1 October 1951 2 December 1951 People's Party 1
(1949)
6th convocation
(1949–1953)

President of the Chamber of Deputies (1953–1954)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
7 Maamun al-Kuzbari
(1914–1998)
24 October 1953 2 December 1954 Independent 1
(1953)
7th convocation
(1953–1954)

President of the Chamber of Deputies (1954–1958)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
6 Nazim al-Qudsi
(1906–1998)
14 October 1954 1 October 1957 People's Party 1
(1954)
8th convocation
(1954–1958)
8 Akram al-Hawrani
(1912–1996)
14 October 1957 22 February 1958 Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(1954)
8th convocation
(1954–1958)

United Arab Republic (1958–1961)

President of the Chamber of Deputies (1958–1960)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Akram al-Hawrani
(1912–1996)
22 February 1958 20 July 1960 Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(1954)
8th convocation
(1954–1958)

Chairman of the Council of Nation (1960–1961)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Anwar Sadat
(1918–1981)
21 July 1960 17 September 1961 National Union 1
(1960)
1st convocation
(1960–1961)

Syrian Arab Republic (1961–present)

President of the Chamber of Deputies (1961–1963)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
7 Maamun al-Kuzbari
(1914–1998)
12 December 1961 12 September 1962 Independent 1
(1961)
9th convocation
(1961–1963)
9 Said al-Ghazzi
(1893–1967)
17 September 1962 8 March 1963 Independent 1
(1961)
9th convocation
(1961–1963)

Chairman of the National Revolutionary Council (1965–1966)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Mansur al-Atrash
(1926–2006)
1 September 1965 24 February 1966 Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(None)
1st convocation
(1965–1966)

Speaker of the People's Assembly (1971–present)

No. Portrait Name
(Birth–Death)
Term of office Political party Term Convocation
1 Ahmad al-Khatib
(1933–1982)
22 February 1971 26 December 1971 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(None)
1st convocation
(1971–1973)
2 Fahmi al-Yusufi
(?–2006)
27 December 1971 21 February 1973 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(None)
1st convocation
(1971–1973)
3 Muhammad Ali al-Halabi
(1937–2016)
9 June 1973 8 June 1977 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(1973)
2nd convocation
(1973–1977)
18 August 1977 27 March 1978 2
(1977)
3rd convocation
(1977–1981)
4 Mahmoud Hadid 30 March 1978 17 August 1981 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(1977)
3rd convocation
(1977–1981)
5 Mahmoud Al-Zoubi
(1935–2000)
16 November 1981 15 November 1985 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(1981)
4th convocation
(1981–1985)
27 February 1986 18 February 1988 2
(1986)
5th convocation
(1986–1990)
6 Abd al-Qadir Qaddura
(1935–2013)
19 February 1988 16 February 1990 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(1986)
5th convocation
(1986–1990)
11 June 1990 10 June 1994 2
(1990)
6th convocation
(1990–1994)
10 September 1994 9 September 1998 3
(1994)
7th convocation
(1994–1998)
1999 2002 4
(1998)
8th convocation
(1998–2003)
7 Muhammad Naji al-Otari
(born 1944)
9 March 2003 18 September 2003 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(2003)
9th convocation
(2003–2007)
8 Mahmoud al-Abrash
(born 1944)
7 October 2003 8 March 2007 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(2003)
9th convocation
(2003–2007)
7 May 2007 7 May 2012 2
(2007)
10th convocation
(2007–2012)
9 Mohammad Jihad al-Laham
(born 1954)
24 May 2012 6 June 2016 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(2012)
11th convocation
(2012–2016)
10 Hadiya Khalaf Abbas
(1958–2021)
6 June 2016 20 July 2017 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(2016)
12th convocation
(2016–2020)
11 Hammouda Sabbagh
(1959–)
28 September 2017 2020 Syrian Ba'ath Party
(Syria Region)
1
(2016)
12th convocation
(2016–2020)
2020 Incumbent 2
(2020)
13th convocation
(2020–present)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Article 55". 2012 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic. Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  2. ^ a b "Article 73". 2012 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic. Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  3. ^ "Article 56". 2012 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic. Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  4. ^ "Article 64". 2012 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic. Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  5. ^ "Article 65". 2012 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic. Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  6. ^ a b c "Article 85". 2012 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic. Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  7. ^ "Article 86". 2012 Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic. Government of the Syrian Arab Republic.
  8. ^ Enayat, Hamid; ʻināyat, Ḥamīd (24 June 2005). Modern Islamic Political Thought. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9781850434658.
  9. ^ Thompson, Elizabeth F. (1 January 2015). "Rashid Rida & the 1920 Syrian-Arab Constitution". Routledge Handbook of Middle East Mandates.