Damascus, Syria – Bashar al-Assad has completed his grip on Syria’s legislature, naming the final 70 lawmakers to a parliament that critics call a rubber stamp. The move comes weeks after a failed coup attempt that shook the regime but ultimately tightened the president’s control.
Inside sources say the new parliament is a mix of loyalists and business elites, all vetted by the security apparatus. The message is clear: dissent will not be tolerated. The chamber will have no opposition, only applause for Assad’s postwar reconstruction plans.
But the coup attempt exposed fractures within the Baath Party. Whisperers in Damascus say the president is purging mid-level officials suspected of disloyalty. Meanwhile, the naming of the last lawmakers was rushed, as if to bury the coup narrative under a veneer of stability.
Polling data is irrelevant here. This is not democracy, it’s theatre. And Assad is the only actor. The opposition, long exiled or obliterated, watches from afar. The new parliament will likely approve a new constitution, extending Assad’s rule until 2028. The game is over. He has won.
