The Fourth Chamber of Deputies () was the fourth parliament of the Syrian Republic and the first elected following full independence from France.

Elected in the 1947 parliamentary election, the chamber convened on 27 September 1947 and remained in session until it was dissolved following the military coup of Husni al-Za'im on 30 March 1949.

The chamber operated during a critical period marked by post-independence state-building, constitutional change, and the impact of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War.

Bureau + Position Name Party Tenure Speaker Fares al-Khoury Deputy Speaker Muhammad al-Ayish Hani al-Sibai Hikmat al-Hakim Lutfi al-Haffar Muhammad Nuri al-Futayh Secretary Muhammad Suleiman al-Ahmad Abd al-Salam al-Ajili Anwar Ibrahim Qater Abd al-Salam Haydar Overseer Ahmad Qanbar Abd al-Qadir Rahmu Fakhri al-Baroudi Najdat al-Najjari Adil al-Ajlani

Elections of the Bureau 27 September 1947 The Assembly elected its Bureau at its first sitting on 27 September 1947, with 125 deputies present. Fares al-Khoury was elected speaker with 107 votes, against 11 blank ballots. Muhammad al-Ayish and Hani al-Sibai were elected deputy speakers, with 84 and 65 votes respectively. Muhammad Suleiman al-Ahmad was elected secretary with 64 votes; the number of votes cast for the other candidate, Abd al-Salam al-Ajili, is not recorded. Ahmad Qanbar, Abd al-Qadir Rahmu, and Fakhri al-Baroudi were elected overseers, with 79, 71, and 63 votes respectively.

8 November 1947

20 November 1948

Members

Committees 1st Special Session The Chamber's committees were elected for the first ordinary session on 30 September 1947. Deputies were divided into three parliamentary sections to elect the committee members. On 1 October, these committees elected their Bureaux as follows: Committees Burea PartyBudget CommitteeChair Nazim al-Qudsi Vice-Chair Hikmat al-Hiraki Rapporteur Hani al-Sibai Constitution CommitteeChair Mustafa Barmada Vice-Chair Faydi al-Atassi Rapporteur Munir al-Ajlani Education CommitteeChair Mahmoud al-Shaqfa Vice-Chair Asaad Harun Rapporteur Muhammad al-Mubarak Financial Laws CommitteeChair George SahnawiVice-Chair Louis HandiyehRapporteur Jamal Ali AdibForeign Affairs CommitteeChair Nazim al-Qudsi Vice-Chair Muhammad al-Sarraj Rapporteur Jihad al-HawwashInterior CommitteeChair Munir al-Ajlani Vice-Chair Nasib al-Bakri Rapporteur Ahmad Qanbar Judicial CommitteeChair Mustafa Barmada Vice-Chair Zaki al-Khatib Rapporteur Latif Ghanima National Defense CommitteeChair Sami Kabbarah Vice-Chair Zaki al-MudarrisRapporteur Faysal al-Asali National Economy CommitteeChair Hikmat al-Hiraki Vice-Chair Hasan al-JabiriRapporteur Musallam al-Haddad Petitions CommitteeChair Fakhri al-Baroudi Vice-Chair Abd al-Hamid al-Dweidari Rapporteur Muhammad al-Mubarak

1st–2nd Ordinary and 2nd–3rd Special Sessions The Chamber's committees were elected for the first ordinary session on 9 November 1947. These committees also continued to operate during the second ordinary, second and third special sessions. On 18 and 19 November, these committees elected their Bureaux as follows: Committees Burea PartyBudget CommitteeChair Nazim al-Qudsi (until 6 Dec 1947) Muhammad Nuri al-Futayh (from 6 Dec 1947) Vice-Chair Abd al-Rahman al-Azm Rapporteur Hani al-Sibai (until 6 Dec 1947) Abd al-Rahman al-Azm (from 6 Dec 1947) Constitution CommitteeChair Hani al-Sibai Vice-Chair Sabri al-Asali Rapporteur Muhammad al-Sarraj Education CommitteeChair Vice-Chair Rapporteur Endowments Committee(Bureau elected on 29 November 1947)Chair Maarouf al-Dawalibi Vice-Chair Hikmat al-Hakim Rapporteur Mahmoud al-Shaqfa Financial Laws CommitteeChair Abdullah Fattal Vice-Chair Habib Kahala Rapporteur Maarouf al-Dawalibi Foreign Affairs CommitteeChair Adnan al-Atassi Vice-Chair Rapporteur Abd al-Salam al-Ajili Interior CommitteeChair Nasib al-Bakri Vice-Chair Anwar Ibrahim Qater Rapporteur Abd al-Salam al-Ajili Judicial CommitteeChair Mustafa Barmada Vice-Chair Zaki al-Khatib Rapporteur Latif Ghanima National Defense Committee(Bureau elected on 24 November 1947)Chair Fakhri al-Baroudi Vice-Chair Zaki al-Mudarris Rapporteur Muhammad Khayr al-Hariri National Economy CommitteeChair Nuri al-IbishVice-Chair Abd al-Aziz Hallaj Rapporteur Akram al-Hourani Petitions CommitteeChair Muhammad al-Mubarak Vice-Chair Abd al-Rahman al-Saegh Rapporteur Kamal al-Kinj Tribal CommitteeChair Vice-Chair Rapporteur

Additionally, two special committees were added during the 2nd ordinary session Committees Burea PartyPersonnel Committee(Bureau elected on 30 March 1948)Chair Habib Kahala Vice-Chair Anwar Ibrahim Qater Rapporteur Muhammad al-Mubarak Rules of Procedure Committee(Bureau elected on 10 May 1948)Chair Sabri al-Asali Vice-Chair Jamal Ali AdibRapporteur Latif Ghanima

3rd Ordinary Session +Burea of the committees Committees Burea PartyBudget Committee (Bureau elected on 29 November 1948)Chair Muhammad Nuri al-Futayh Vice-Chair Farzat al-Mamluk Rapporteur Abd al-Rahman al-Azm Constitution CommitteeChair Vice-Chair Rapporteur Education Committee (Bureau elected on 30 December 1948)Chair Mahmoud al-Shaqfa Vice-Chair Fakhri al-Baroudi Rapporteur Kamal al-Kinj Endowments Committee (Bureau elected on 4 January 1949)Chair Mahmoud al-Shaqfa Vice-Chair Ibrahim Tayfur Rapporteur Adil al-Ajlani Financial Laws Committee (Bureau elected on 28 November 1948)Chair Hikmat al-Hakim Vice-Chair George Sahnawi Rapporteur Lutfi al-Hajj Husayn Foreign Affairs CommitteeChair Vice-Chair Rapporteur Interior Committee (Bureau elected on 29 November 1948)Chair Sabri al-Asali Vice-Chair Ahmad Ali Kamil Rapporteur Abd al-Salam al-Ajili Judicial Committee (Bureau elected on 30 November 1948)Chair Sabri al-Asali Vice-Chair Farzat al-Mamluk Rapporteur Abd al-Salam Haydar National Defense Committee (Bureau elected on 29 November 1948)Chair Fakhri al-Baroudi Vice-Chair Kamal al-Kinj Rapporteur Jamal Ali AdibNational Economy Committee (Bureau elected on 28 December 1948)Chair Ahmad al-Sharabati Vice-Chair Hasan al-Jabiri Rapporteur Nadim Shuman Petitions CommitteeChair Vice-Chair Rapporteur Tribal CommitteeChair Vice-Chair Rapporteur

Additionally, two new committees were added during the 3rd ordinary session Committees Burea PartyHealth and Social Affairs Committee (Bureau elected on 27 December 1948)Chair Hikmat al-Hakim Vice-Chair Habib Kahala Rapporteur Abd al-Salam al-Ajili

Major legislations and actions The parliament undertook several important legislative and political actions:

Rejection of electoral laws based on sectarian representation, affirming national representation Rejection of the Hashemite "Greater Syria" project Constitutional amendment allowing the re-election of President Shukri al-Quwatli (March–April 1948) Support for Arab efforts in Mandatory Palestine and encouragement of volunteers for the Arab Liberation Army

The chamber also passed several laws, including:

Rent law, issued on 28 April 1947 Law abolishing subsistence courts, issued on 18 May 1947 Commercial Information Law, issued in 1947 Agricultural Protection Law, issued in 1947

Impact of the 1948 war

The 1948 Arab–Israeli War had a major impact on Syrian political life. Military defeat exposed weaknesses in the Syrian army and led to the resignation of Defence Minister Ahmad al-Sharabati, resignation of the government of Jamil Mardam Bey on December 1948, and the formation of a new government under Khalid al-Azm.

Political tensions increased further when the government announced its willingness to enter armistice negotiations with Israel.

Political crisis and coup

On 18 January 1949, the Chamber declared its opposition to the Trans-Arabian Pipeline (Tapline) agreement with the United States, citing concerns over national sovereignty.

Amid rising political instability, on 30 March 1949, Husni al-Za'im carried out Syria's first military coup. Shortly thereafter the constitution was suspended, parliament was dissolved, and political parties were banned.

This marked the end of Syria's first post-independence parliamentary period and the beginning of an era of military coups in Syria that would last for about 20 years.

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