Syria Gears Up for Historic Parliamentary Elections in September
(MENAFN) Syria is gearing up to hold its first parliamentary elections under new leadership between September 15 and 20, marking a significant political transition following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
On Saturday, the High Election Committee convened with President Ahmad al-Sharaa to review critical revisions to the temporary electoral law. These adjustments come after extensive consultations with various segments of Syrian society, according to Mohammad Taha al-Ahmad, head of the committee, as reported by a state news agency.
President Sharaa underscored the critical need to conduct elections uniformly across all Syrian provinces, firmly dismissing any proposals for territorial division—an idea strongly opposed by Syrians nationwide.
The president also stressed the exclusion of individuals who either backed or collaborated with war criminals, as well as those who fuel sectarianism or advocate for Syria’s partition, Ahmad added.
Under the updated system, the number of seats in the People’s Assembly will rise from 150 to 210. Seat allocation will be adjusted according to population data from the 2011 census. Of the 210 seats, the president will appoint 70 members, Ahmad clarified.
Following the presidential decree on the temporary electoral system, the election committee plans to spend approximately one week establishing subcommittees, which will then have 15 days to select the electoral bodies responsible for overseeing the vote.
Candidate registration will soon follow, allowing contenders a week to organize their campaigns. These campaigns will feature debates involving electoral bodies and committee members.
Ahmad confirmed that the elections are scheduled for September 15–20 and highlighted that women will represent at least 20% of the electoral bodies.
He further stated that the entire electoral process will be open for monitoring by civil society groups and international organizations, all under the supervision of the High Election Committee, which will also safeguard the rights to challenge candidate lists and final election results.
Saturday evening saw the Syrian presidency officially receive the finalized draft of the temporary parliamentary electoral law.
On June 13, President Sharaa issued a decree establishing the High Election Committee. Initially, this set the parliament’s size at 150 seats but later expanded it to 210.
The decree mandates the committee to form electoral bodies that will elect two-thirds of parliament, while the remaining one-third will be appointed by the president.
Seat distribution across provinces will reflect population size and be divided into constituencies for community leaders and intellectuals, based on criteria defined by the committee.
After nearly 25 years in power, Assad fled to Russia in December, ending the Baath Party’s decades-long rule since 1963.
In January, a new transitional government led by President Sharaa was established to steer Syria through this critical political transformation.
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