Syria to Hold First Post-Assad Parliamentary Elections In September

ISTANBUL, July 28 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Syria plans to hold its first parliamentary elections under the new leadership between Sept 15 and 20 following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported, citing local media.

The High Election Committee met Saturday with President Ahmad al-Sharaa to brief him on key amendments to the temporary electoral law, following rounds of consultations with various sectors of Syrian society, the committee’s head, Mohammad Taha al-Ahmad, said in comments carried by the state news agency SANA.

Sharaa stressed the importance of conducting the elections across all Syrian provinces and rejected any notion of territorial division, which all Syrians oppose.

The Syrian president also emphasised the need to exclude individuals who supported or collaborated with war criminals, as well as those who promote sectarianism or partition, Ahmad added.

The number of seats in the People’s Assembly (parliament) will increase from 150 to 210 under the revised system. Based on the 2011 population census, seat allocations across provinces will expand accordingly. The president will appoint 70 of the 210 members, Ahmad said.

He explained that after a presidential decree on the temporary electoral system is signed, the election committee will need about a week to form subcommittees, which will then have 15 days to select the electoral bodies.

Candidate registration will follow, giving nominees a week to prepare their campaigns, which will include debates with electoral bodies and committee members.

The polls are expected to take place between Sept 15 and 20, he confirmed, adding that women will make up at least 20 per cent of the electoral bodies.

He also stated that the electoral process will be open to observation by civil society and international organisations, under the supervision of the High Election Committee, which will also ensure the right to challenge candidate lists and final results.

On Saturday evening, the Syrian presidency confirmed receipt of the final version of the temporary electoral law for the parliament.

On June 13, Sharaa issued a decree establishing the High Election Committee, initially setting the number of parliamentary seats at 150 before expanding it to 210.

According to the decree, the committee is tasked with forming electoral bodies, which will elect two-thirds of the parliament. The remaining one-third will be appointed by the president.

Seats will be distributed across provinces based on population and categorised into constituencies for community leaders and intellectuals, in accordance with criteria set by the committee.

Assad, Syria’s leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s regime, which had been in power since 1963.

A new transitional administration led by Sharaa was formed in Syria in January.

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU