Syria selects members of first post-Assad parliament

Damascus: Local committees in Syria cast their ballots for members of a transitional parliament, with a third of the new lawmakers to be appointed dir...

Damascus: Local committees in Syria cast their ballots for members of a transitional parliament, with a third of the new lawmakers to be appointed directly by interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa.

The assembly's formation is expected to consolidate the power of Sharaa, whose forces led a coalition that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war.

Members of the local committees queued up to vote at Syria's National Library, formerly the Assad National Library, with preliminary results set to be announced on Sunday night.

The electoral commission said in the evening that "the voting has ended and the counting is underway". The final list of winners is due on Monday.

Around 6,000 people took part in Sunday's selection process.