Syria holds first parliamentary elections since Assad regime was overthrown

Syria held its first parliamentary elections since the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad on Sunday, October 5. The electoral commission said about 6 000 voters in regional constituencies took part in the vote.

This is reported by Reuters and France 24.

The elections were held indirectly, through special electoral colleges, rather than by universal suffrage. Syriaʼs interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, said that direct elections were impossible now because a large number of Syrians lacked documents after the civil war.

According to the organizing committee, more than 1 500 candidates ran for the assembly, of which only 14% were women. According to the rules, candidates must not be “supporters of the former regime” and must not “propagandize for the division of the country”.

The assembly will be elected every two and a half years. Voters have elected about two-thirds of the new parliamentʼs 210 members. The remaining 70 representatives will be appointed by Sharaa himself.

According to the head of the electoral commission, Mohammed al-Ahmed, after the announcement of the preliminary results, the body will submit a report to the president so that he can elect the remaining members of parliament. Candidates will also have the opportunity to file objections.

Although the government calls the elections a first step towards an “inclusive government”, critics question their transparency. Human rights groups have criticized the selection process, saying it concentrates power in the hands of Sharaa and fails to ensure representation for the country’s ethnic and religious minorities.

Voting was not held in three provinces where ethnic and religious minorities live — 19 seats in parliament there will remain vacant until later.

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