On Sunday, Syria’s newly elected parliament held its first session since former President Bashar Assad stepped down, in hopes of restarting the country’s legislative process after years of conflict and authoritarian rule.

The establishment of the parliament signals that Syria is recovering from decades of brutal rule by the Assad family and a deadly civil war that has claimed the lives of approximately 500,000 people, and is moving forward with drafting new laws.

Two-thirds of the 210 members were elected by electoral colleges, while one-third were directly appointed by the country’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa. The new parliament will serve a 30-month term while preparing for future elections.

After taking the oath of office, the members of parliament elected Abdul Hamid al-Awak as speaker. According to the Syrian official news agency SANA, he served as a judge at the Ministry of Justice for 10 years.