Kurdish lawmaker says Syria's new parliament underrepresents Kurdish population

DAMASCUS, Syria — A Kurdish member of Syria's People's Assembly said the 12 seats held by Kurdish lawmakers in the new parliament fall short of what the community is owed, given its share of the country's population. Abdulhakim Bashar, a member of the Syria Political Bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, said the agreements signed between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces addressed military, security and administrative arrangements but did not produce a comprehensive political solution to the Kurdish question. He estimated that Kurds make up about 15% of Syria's population, arguing that they should therefore hold at least 30 to 32 seats, and that the 12 allotted to them are insufficient. Bashar said the 12 Kurdish lawmakers are coordinating on shared priorities, including national rights, language, citizenship, land ownership and regional development. He added that voting in the northeast, where most Kurdish-majority areas are located, was held later than in other regions, creating a disadvantage in shaping the assembly's bodies. The new Syrian People's Assembly held its first session in Damascus on July 12, 2026, with 210 members. Two-thirds of the members were selected by regional electoral committees, and the remaining third were appointed by President Ahmed al-Shara. Bashar said Kurdish lawmakers would follow up on land deeds, infrastructure, education, health, agriculture and industry, as well as the citizenship file of those unregistered in the 1962 Hasakah census. He called for Kurdish to be recognized as an official language and for national rights to be guaranteed in any new constitution.