Syria has conducted its first parliamentary elections on Sunday, marking a significant step in the nation’s post-conflict transition almost a year after a rebel-led offensive ousted longtime autocratic leader Bashar al-Assad.
The newly established People’s Assembly will be tasked with the crucial responsibility of formulating a new electoral law and constitution, guiding the country through its political evolution following more than a decade of devastating civil war.
Security forces were deployed extensively around polling stations nationwide. The voting process itself involved electoral college members filling out ballots with lists of names, which were then sealed and publicly counted before candidates, journalists, and observers from the Syrian bar association.
Crucially, these elections bypassed a direct popular vote. Two-thirds of the 210-member assembly will be elected via province-based electoral colleges, with seats allocated by population. The remaining one-third will be directly appointed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. This new parliament is set to serve a 30-month term, preparing for future polls.
In theory, 7,000 electoral college members across 60 districts are eligible to vote for 140 seats, but elections were postponed indefinitely in Sweida province and in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces due to tensions between the local authorities and Damascus.
“There are many pending laws that need to be voted on so that we move forward with the process of building and prosperity,” Mr Sharaa said in a speech after he was briefed on the election process at the National Library Centre, where the polling took place in Damascus.
“Building Syria is a collective mission, and all Syrians must contribute to it,” Mr Sharaa added.
Critics argue the elections fall short of full democracy, noting that the electoral college system may favour well-connected candidates, consolidating power within the interim government. Initial results Sunday evening showed few women and minorities winning seats. But for others, the election was a sign of progress.
In Damascus, 490 candidates competed for 10 seats, with 500 voters in the electoral college.
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’d only be part of the voting body, she agreed, calling it “a national duty”.
She took her role seriously.
“I studied the profiles of many candidates and attended meetings. I didn’t stop there. I called people to ask about the candidates, their histories and what others thought of them,” she said.
On election day, she 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.”
The interim authorities say a popular vote is impossible now due to the displacement of citizens during the country’s civil war and the loss of documents.
