Change instead: the first parliamentary elections were held in Syria after the departure of Assad
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- Change instead: the first parliamentary elections were held in Syria after the departure of Assad
On October 5, elections to the People's Council were held in Syria, the first parliament of the transitional period formed after the change of power in the country and the adoption of the Constitutional Declaration. The voting was organized according to a new scheme: now 140 deputies are elected through regional boards, and 70 more are appointed by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. At the same time, the elections did not cover Essaouida, Hasaka and Raqqa due to the unstable security situation in these provinces. Experts interviewed by Izvestia note that there is no talk of full—fledged political competition yet, and the main goal of the government is to maintain control over the country and prevent a repeat of the chaos of the civil war.
The first stage of political restructuring
The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Syrian Transitional Government has not recorded any violations in the voting process in the elections to the People's Council, the country's unicameral parliament. It is noted that the elections were held "in a calm atmosphere and without incident" in most provinces of the Arab republic.
The vote should consolidate the new political order formed after the departure of Bashar al-Assad. However, despite the loud statements about democratization, many observers doubt that the new parliament will become a truly independent body.
The elections were originally scheduled to be held in late September, before the visit of interim President Ahmed al—Sharaa to New York, but the procedure was postponed due to lack of time to consider a large number of candidates. At the rostrum of the UN General Assembly, the central theme of al-Sharaa's speech was reforms, the restructuring of civil and military institutions and the gradual lifting of international sanctions.
The holding of parliamentary elections completes the first stage of the transition period. Over the past year, interim authorities have been established in the country and a Constitutional Declaration has been approved, which sets the framework for the political process until the adoption of the new main law of the country.
During an inspection of the elections in Damascus, Ahmed al-Sharaa said that in a short time the country was able to enter the electoral process, which indicates progress in political development. He stressed that many laws in Syria need to be reviewed, as there is a need to make up for
the constitutional vacuum.
The new composition of the National Assembly — 210 deputies — is now formed according to a hybrid scheme: two thirds (140 seats) are distributed through regional electoral colleges, and the remaining 70 are appointed by the president personally. This design provides al-Sharaa with de facto control over parliament, allowing it to block any decisions.
Supporters of the former Syrian authorities are prohibited from participating in the process both as candidates and as voters. It is also worth noting that only 14% of candidates are women.
The current parliamentary elections in Syria should not be considered as a full-fledged political event, says orientalist Kirill Semenov.
— These elections should be treated as purely technical. The task is to ensure the functioning of the government in the coming years, while the country is going through a five—year transition cycle," the expert told Izvestia.
At the same time, as the orientalist notes, the authorities tried to maintain a minimal institutional framework. "The electoral committees that form the parliament have certain quotas, for example, for women. There are about 20% of the representatives of the female sex, and in general, the composition of these boards is more diverse than it was during the time of Assad," the expert said.
Semenov believes that the main goal of the new parliament is to stabilize the country and prepare the basis for future reforms, including the creation of a party system.
— Today in Syria there is no law on parties and the party structure itself. Therefore, the logic of the current elections is to fix the transitional order and lay down a legal framework on which full—fledged elections can be held in a few years," the expert explains.
Speaking about the form of voting, the orientalist notes that the hybrid electoral model looks justified in the current conditions. At the moment, it is difficult to count the number of voters — half of Syrians live abroad. It is impossible to hold a full-fledged vote: it is unclear how to ensure registration and how to count ballots. In such a situation, an attempt to simulate a general election would lead to even more controversy and accusations of fraud, he said.
According to the expert, the authorities thereby absolve themselves of responsibility for the inability to conduct the democratic process in a classical form.
— They say bluntly: now there are no conditions for a full-fledged popular vote, so we choose a controlled, compromise scheme. At the transitional stage, this is probably the only possible solution," Semenov concluded.
Facade Parliament
A different assessment of the situation is given by Nikolai Sukhov, a leading researcher at the Center for Middle Eastern Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who considers the current system to be false and politically meaningless.
— There is no balance and inclusivity here. The new parliament was created as a showcase so that the West could say that there is democracy in Syria. In fact, this is a purely decorative design," Nikolai Sukhov emphasized in an interview with Izvestia.
According to him, the main goal of Damascus is to demonstrate manageability and stability by convincing external partners that investments in the country are safe.
The voting, we recall, did not take place throughout the country. The authorities excluded three provinces from the process — Essaouida, Hasaka and Raqqa, citing security threats. It is promised to retain about 10% of the mandates for these regions. While battles with the local Druze community had previously taken place in Essaouida, Hasaka and Raqqa are under the control of the Kurdish administration, which is not subordinate to Damascus. Kurdish representatives called the decision not to hold elections on their territory a violation of citizens' rights.
— On the one hand, this reduces the risk of escalation, but on the other hand, it undermines the completeness of representation. Without these regions, the parliament cannot be considered a reflection of the interests of the whole country," the expert notes.
Sukhov also draws attention to the lack of real competition.
— We are not talking about a political competition, but about an administrative selection of personnel. Candidates are nominated through local committees, trade unions and women's councils, but there is simply no sociology, ratings and independent monitoring," he explains.
The foreign policy component of the elections is no less important than the domestic one. In early September, a Russian delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak visited Damascus. The parties discussed projects in energy, agriculture and healthcare. The media previously reported that Damascus was interested in resuming patrols of the southern provinces of Syria by the Russian military police.
For Damascus, this is a way to strengthen security and limit Israeli activity, which has intensified since the December invasion of the southern regions of the country by Israeli troops. This is an opportunity for Moscow to maintain its influence in the region, even in new political conditions.
On October 15, al-Sharaa will arrive in Moscow for the first Russian-Arab summit.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
