DAMASCUS, Syria - SyriaÂ’s newly elected legislature convened on Monday and re-elected the groupÂ’s speaker unopposed in a live broadcast on state television. Mahmoud Al Abrash, a longtime member of the ruling Baath Party, was elected for a second four-year term. The 66-year-old architect won 235 votes in the 250-seat house. After his election, al-Abrash promised to make the assembly play its legislative role During the broadcast, the lawmakers were also sworn in using the Quran, IslamÂ’s holy book. The ruling National Progressive Front, which comprises the Baath Party and smaller political allies, gained 172 seats out of a total of 250 in last monthÂ’s elections, more than the 167 seats guaranteed to them under the constitution.
The rubber-stamp legislature