Beirut / Waseem Seif Eddine / Anadolu

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, on Monday, congratulated Abdul Hamid al-Awak on his election as Speaker of the People's Assembly in Syria.

The Presidency of the Lebanese Parliament stated in a statement that Berri sent a congratulatory cable to the Syrian People's Assembly Speaker Abdul Hamid al-Awak.

Berri said in the cable: "I am pleased to extend, on my behalf and on behalf of the esteemed members of the Lebanese Parliament, my warmest congratulations and sincerest wishes on the occasion of your election as Speaker of the People's Assembly in the Syrian Arab Republic."

He added: "I wish you success and achievement in performing your legislative duties, and for Syria security, progress, and stability."

On Sunday, the Syrian People's Assembly elected al-Awak as its speaker during its first session since the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime in late 2024, a step heralding the start of a new phase of legislative and institutional work in the country.

Al-Awak received 99 votes out of 205 votes counted, compared to 75 votes for Moayad al-Qablawi, and 31 votes for Mohamed Ramiz Kourg, while one blank ballot was voided, according to Anadolu's correspondent.

Al-Awak hails from Hasaka Governorate (northeast), and previously held positions in the judiciary and academia, before chairing the committee to draft the interim constitutional declaration following the recent political transition in the country.

The new People's Assembly consists of 210 members, 140 of whom were elected by electoral bodies in the governorates, while the president appointed 70 members forming the complementary third, according to the provisions of the interim electoral system.

The formation of the assembly comes within the framework of the process of rebuilding state institutions, following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime on December 8, 2024, which ruled the country for 24 years.