Syria begins first post-Assad parliamentary elections, composition of parliament under Sharia law
Syria’s first parliamentary elections in the period after the fall of Bashar al-Assad began on Sunday morning with an indirect system through regional electoral districts.
The elections, which will determine 131 of the 210 seats in the People’s Assembly, are being held while Ahmed al-Sharaa (known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani, the former leader of Tahrir al-Sham), the interim president of the transitional government, has reserved one-third of the seats (70) for direct appointment and the approval of the remaining representatives is subject to his approval, which has sparked widespread criticism of the concentration of power.
The elections are being held in 6,000 local constituencies to elect two-thirds of the seats, but in at least three provinces, including the Druze-dominated Sweida and northeastern areas controlled by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces, there are no ballot boxes and the election has been postponed due to ethnic and security tensions.
This delay has violated the rights of key minorities such as Alawites, Druze, and Kurds and raised serious questions about inclusivity and minority representation.
All candidates are running as independents because political parties have been dissolved and there is no system for registering new parties.
Also, there are no quotas for women or minorities, which has limited female participation to fewer than 20 in some areas.
Critics, including Syrian lawyers and international organizations, consider the process top-down and lacking in transparency, warning that it could deepen sectarian divisions.
