Syria is holding its first parliamentary elections since the fall of its longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, in a tentative step towards democratic polls that have been criticised as biased in favour of the country’s interim leaders.
As the battle-ravaged country moves through its post-Assad political transition after more than a decade of civil war, members of local committees are beginning the significant milestone of selecting a transitional parliament.
One-third of the assembly seats will be appointed directly by the interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in a move seen as consolidating his power. The remaining two-thirds of the seats will be selected through province-based electoral colleges, with seats distributed by population.
There has been no direct popular vote as the interim authorities said the displacement of citizens and the loss of documents during the war years would make such a step impossible at this stage.
During a speech at the National Library in Damascus, Sharaa said: “There are many pending laws that need to be voted on so that we move forward with the process of building and prosperity. Building Syria is a collective mission, and all Syrians must contribute to it.”
The interim authorities dissolved Syria’s rubber-stamp legislature after taking power.
The new 210-member body, the People’s Assembly, will be tasked with passing a new elections law and constitution. According to the organising committee, more than 1,500 candidates – just 14% of them women – are running for the assembly, which will have a renewable 30-month mandate while preparing for future polls.
Under the rules, candidates must not be “supporters of the former regime” and must not promote secession or partition.
Those standing include Syrian-American Henry Hamra, the first Jewish candidate since the 1940s.
Elections were postponed indefinitely in Druze-majority Sweida province and in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces due to tensions between the local authorities and Damascus.
Critics argue the electoral college system could favour well-connected candidates, giving the interim government an unfair advantage while excluding some ethnic and religious minorities. But for others, the election was a sign of progress.
When approached by election officials to join the electoral college, Lina Daaboul, a doctor in Damascus, said she initially refused, fearing the responsibility and the “ugly image” of past assemblies. But after learning she would only be part of the voting body, she agreed, calling it “a national duty”.
On election day, Daaboul said: “This is the first time I’ve ever voted in my life. I’m happy, and I don’t mind standing in line for a long time.”
Lara Eezouki, a member of the national elections committee in Damascus, noted that the new assembly includes all sects and groups and said it was “the first time in Syria’s history that the ballot box truly rules – when the results are not prearranged”.
Ibrahim Halabi, a former soldier under Assad’s rule who defected after mass anti-government protests were met by a brutal crackdown and ensuing civil war in 2011, said: “This is the first time in our lives we’ve participated in a democratic electoral process without outside pressure.”
Sharaa’s Islamist forces led a coalition that ousted Assad in December.
The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report
