Syria will hold its first parliamentary elections on Sunday since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, amid concerns over inclusivity and successive delays. There will be no direct vote for the People's Assembly, which will be responsible for legislation during a transitional period. Instead, 'electoral colleges' will select representatives for two-thirds of the 210 seats, while interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will appoint the rest. Long-time former President Assad was ousted by Sharaa's forces 10 months ago after a 13-year civil war. Authorities say they have postponed the polls for security reasons in two Kurdish-controlled provinces and a third which saw deadly fighting between government forces and Druze militias.
The clashes in July marked the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria since Assad's overthrow. In a speech at the UN General Assembly last week - the first by a Syrian president in 60 years - Sharaa promised to bring to justice everyone responsible for the bloodshed, as well as those who committed atrocities under Assad. He also pledged that Syria was now 'rebuilding itself through establishing a new state, building institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception'.
Sunday's polls are being overseen by the Higher Committee for the Syrian People's Assembly Elections, whose 11 members were chosen by the president in June. The number of seats allocated in each of 60 districts is based on census data collected in 2010 - the year before the country descended into a civil war that killed more than 600,000 people and displaced another 12 million. The decision to postpone the elections in Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Suweida means that electoral colleges in only 50 out of 60 districts will choose representatives for approximately 120 seats on Sunday.
There will be more than 1,500 candidates, who must also be electoral college members. Supporters of 'the former regime or terrorist organisations' were barred from membership, as were advocates of 'secession, division or seeking foreign intervention'. At least 20% of the electoral college members were required to be women, but there were no minimum quotas for female lawmakers or those from the country's many ethnic and religious minorities. The president will choose representatives for 70 seats from outside the electoral colleges, raising concerns from civil society groups regarding the democratic integrity of the process.
Sharaa defended the election process, attributing the difficulties to the loss of documents and a population largely displaced due to the conflict. Tensions remain high in Kurdistan, with local leaders criticizing the government's approach as authoritarian. The interim government faces significant opposition and skepticism about its ability to adequately represent the will of the Syrian people.
The clashes in July marked the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria since Assad's overthrow. In a speech at the UN General Assembly last week - the first by a Syrian president in 60 years - Sharaa promised to bring to justice everyone responsible for the bloodshed, as well as those who committed atrocities under Assad. He also pledged that Syria was now 'rebuilding itself through establishing a new state, building institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception'.
Sunday's polls are being overseen by the Higher Committee for the Syrian People's Assembly Elections, whose 11 members were chosen by the president in June. The number of seats allocated in each of 60 districts is based on census data collected in 2010 - the year before the country descended into a civil war that killed more than 600,000 people and displaced another 12 million. The decision to postpone the elections in Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Suweida means that electoral colleges in only 50 out of 60 districts will choose representatives for approximately 120 seats on Sunday.
There will be more than 1,500 candidates, who must also be electoral college members. Supporters of 'the former regime or terrorist organisations' were barred from membership, as were advocates of 'secession, division or seeking foreign intervention'. At least 20% of the electoral college members were required to be women, but there were no minimum quotas for female lawmakers or those from the country's many ethnic and religious minorities. The president will choose representatives for 70 seats from outside the electoral colleges, raising concerns from civil society groups regarding the democratic integrity of the process.
Sharaa defended the election process, attributing the difficulties to the loss of documents and a population largely displaced due to the conflict. Tensions remain high in Kurdistan, with local leaders criticizing the government's approach as authoritarian. The interim government faces significant opposition and skepticism about its ability to adequately represent the will of the Syrian people.
