Hadiya Khalaf Abbas

Hadiya Khalaf Abbas was a Syrian politician who served as the Speaker of the People's Council of Syria from June 2016 to July 2017. She is the only woman to have held the post. She was born in Deir ez-Zor Governorate in 1958 and got a doctorate in agricultural engineering from the University of Aleppo. She was also a professor at the Al-Furat University. She was a member of the Ba'ath Party and the Regional Command of the Syrian Regional Branch. She was elected Speaker of the People's Council of Syria in the first session of the chamber on 6 June 2016, becoming the first woman to reach this office. She won uncontested. On 20 July 2017, Syria's Parliament issued a resolution discharging Abbas from her post as Speaker, with a majority of member votes. Abbas was accused by some parliamentarians of preventing some members from submitting their interposition and turning a blind eye to their willingness to discuss a number of articles according to the constitutional rules, a behavior other parliamentarians described as irresponsible and illegal. She was replaced by Hammouda Sabbagh in September 2017. Abbas died on 13 November 2021, at Military Hospital of Deir ez-Zor at the age of 63 after suffering a heart attack. She was praised by the Syrian government and media as a national figure and a role model for Syrian women.