What To Expect As Syria Holds First Parliamentary Elections Since Assad's Ouster - Beritaja

Syrian electoral assemblage members statement up to formed their ballots successful a parliamentary predetermination astatine a polling position successful Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Omar Sanadiki/AP

BEIRUT — Syria is holding parliamentary elections connected Sunday for the first clip since the autumn of the country's longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated successful a rebel violative successful December.

Under the 50-year norm of the Assad dynasty, Syria held regular elections successful which each Syrian citizens could vote. But successful practice, the Assad-led Baath Party ever dominated the parliament, and the votes were wide regarded arsenic sham elections.

Outside predetermination analysts said the only genuinely competitory portion of the process came earlier predetermination time — pinch the soul superior strategy successful the Baath Party, erstwhile statement members jockeyed for positions connected the list.

The elections to beryllium held connected Sunday, however, will not beryllium a afloat antiauthoritarian process either. Rather, about of the People's Assembly seats will beryllium voted connected by electoral colleges successful each district, while one-third of the seats will beryllium straight appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Despite not being a celebrated vote, the predetermination results will apt beryllium taken arsenic a barometer of really superior the interim authorities are about inclusivity, peculiarly of women and minorities.

Here's a breakdown of really the elections will activity and what to watch.

How the strategy works

The People's Assembly has 210 seats, of which two-thirds will beryllium elected connected Sunday and one-third appointed. The elected seats are voted upon by electoral colleges successful districts passim the country, pinch the number of seats for each territory distributed by population.

A Syrian electoral assemblage personnel casts his ballot during the parliamentary elections astatine Latakia's Governor ballot station, successful the coastal metropolis of Latakia, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Hussein Malla/AP

In theory, a full of 7,000 electoral assemblage members successful 60 districts — chosen from a excavation of applicants successful each territory by committees appointed for the intent — should ballot for 140 seats.

However, the elections successful Sweida state and successful areas of the northeast controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces person been indefinitely postponed owed to tensions betwixt the section authorities successful those areas and the cardinal authorities successful Damascus, meaning that those seats will stay empty.

In practice, therefore, about 6,000 electoral assemblage members will ballot successful 50 districts for about 120 seats.

The largest territory is the 1 containing the metropolis of Aleppo, wherever 700 electoral assemblage members will ballot to capable 14 seats, followed by the metropolis of Damascus, pinch 500 members voting for 10 seats.

All candidates travel from the rank of the electoral colleges.

Following Assad's ouster, the interim authorities dissolved each existing governmental parties, about of which were intimately affiliated pinch the Assad government, and person not yet group up a strategy for caller parties to register, truthful each candidates are moving arsenic individuals.

Why nary celebrated vote

The interim authorities person said that it would beryllium intolerable to create an meticulous elector registry and behaviour a celebrated ballot astatine this stage, fixed that millions of Syrians were internally aliases externally displaced by the country's about 14-year civilian warfare and galore person mislaid individual documents.

This parliament will person a 30-month term, during which the authorities is expected to hole the crushed for a celebrated ballot successful the adjacent elections.

The deficiency of a celebrated ballot has drawn disapproval of being undemocratic, but immoderate analysts opportunity the government's reasons are legitimate.

"We don't moreover cognize really galore Syrians are successful Syria today," because of the ample number of displaced people, said Benjamin Feve, a elder investigation expert astatine the Syria-focused Karam Shaar Advisory consulting firm.

"It would beryllium really difficult to tie electoral lists coming successful Syria," aliases to put the logistics for Syrians successful the diaspora to ballot successful their countries of residence, he said.

Haid Haid, a elder investigation chap astatine the Arab Reform Initiative and the Chatham House deliberation vessel said that the much concerning rumor was the deficiency of clear criteria nether which electors were selected.

"Especially erstwhile it comes to choosing the subcommittees and the electoral colleges, location is nary oversight, and the full process is benignant of perchance susceptible to manipulation," he said.

A Syrian electoral assemblage personnel casts his ballot during a parliamentary predetermination astatine Latakia's Governor ballot station, successful the coastal metropolis of Latakia, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Hussein Malla/AP

There person been wide objections aft electoral authorities "removed names from the first lists that were published, and they did not supply elaborate accusation arsenic to why those names were removed," he said.

Questions about inclusivity

There is nary group quota for practice of women and belief aliases taste minorities successful the parliament.

Women were required to dress up 20% of electoral assemblage members, but that did not guarantee that they would dress up a comparable percent of candidates aliases of those elected.

State-run news agency SANA, citing the caput of the nationalist elections committee, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, reported that women made up 14% of the 1,578 candidates who made it to the last lists. In immoderate districts, women dress up 30 aliases 40% of each candidates, while successful others, location are nary female candidates.

Meanwhile, the removal of the Druze-majority Sweida state and Kurdish-controlled areas successful the northeast arsenic good arsenic the deficiency of group quotas for minorities has raised questions about practice of communities that are not portion of the Sunni Arab nationalist majority.

The rumor is peculiarly delicate aft outbreaks of sectarian unit successful caller months successful which hundreds of civilians from the Alawite and Druze minorities were killed, galore of them by government-affiliated fighters.

Feve noted that electoral districts had been drawn successful specified a measurement arsenic to create minority-majority districts.

"What the authorities could person done if it wanted to limit the number of minorities, it could person merged these districts aliases these localities pinch mostly Sunni Muslim districts," he said. "They could person fundamentally drowned the minorities which is what they didn't do."

Officials person besides pointed to the one-third of parliament straight appointed by al-Sharaa arsenic a system to "ensure betterment successful the inclusivity of the legislative body," Haid said. The thought is that if fewer women aliases minorities are elected by the electoral colleges, the president would see a higher percent successful his picks.

The deficiency of practice of Sweida and the northeast remains problematic, Haid said — moreover if al-Sharaa appoints legislators from those areas.

"The bottommost statement is that sloppy of really galore group will beryllium appointed from those areas, the conflict betwixt the de facto authorities and Damascus complete their information successful the governmental process will stay a awesome issue," he said.

---

you are at the end of the news article with the title:

"What To Expect As Syria Holds First Parliamentary Elections Since Assad's Ouster - Beritaja"

---

Please read other interesting content from Beritaja.com at Google News and Whatsapp Channel!