Damascus: Syria is counting votes following its first parliamentary elections since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December 2024. Polls closed on October 5 night after voting hours had been prolonged in main cities, together with Damascus.
The elections are a historic milestone, ending greater than 5 a long time of al-Assad household rule and testing the brand new authorities below President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Syrians solid ballots for two-thirds of the 210-seat Individuals’s Meeting. One-third of seats are appointed straight by Sharaa, whereas the remaining seats are crammed by regional electoral our bodies and subcommittees below an 11-member Supreme Committee.
The system depends on roughly 6,000 electors, and no nationwide well-liked vote was held because of the lack of dependable census information after years of struggle and displacement.
A complete of 1,578 candidates competed for 140 elected seats. Girls made up 14 p.c of the candidate pool. Observers from diplomatic missions and accredited ambassadors monitored voting at central polling places, together with the Nationwide Library in Damascus.
President Sharaa visited the polling centre, urging Syrians to take part in shaping the brand new nation and expressing hope that the meeting would handle very important laws, approve the price range and signify residents’ pursuits.
The meeting will serve 2.5-year phrases. Political events are absent and debate has been restricted, although the political surroundings is freer than below al-Assad’s censorship-heavy regime. Some seats in Kurdish-controlled areas and the southern province of Suwayda couldn’t be contested resulting from ongoing unrest, leaving as much as 32 seats quickly vacant.
Safety challenges have persevered. A candidate from Tartous, Haidar Shahin, was killed days earlier than the vote amid lingering sectarian tensions. Different components of the nation stay cautious, reflecting previous violence and assaults on minorities.
Regardless of these issues, public help for democratic reform is robust. Surveys present a majority of Syrians favour a pluralistic system with accountability, whereas smaller teams help Islamic law-based governance or restricted political competitors.
Sharaa stays the central determine in Syria’s transitional politics. Analysts counsel the elections could elevate native leaders and notable individuals, offering communities with a connection to central energy in Damascus.
Whereas the meeting is unlikely to problem the president’s authority, the method represents an preliminary step towards constructing a extra pluralistic political framework after a long time of authoritarian rule.
Last outcomes are anticipated by Tuesday (October 7). Observers will probably be watching to see whether or not the Individuals’s Meeting workout routines actual legislative energy or features primarily to endorse authorities choices. The elections are broadly seen as an early part in Syria’s post-revolutionary political reconstruction, laying the groundwork for doable future competitors and consultant governance.