Al-Zouba: One-third appointment raises democratic questions

The creation of Syria's Parliament (People's Assembly) has become the subject of much political discussion following the appointment of one-third of the members of the assembly by the head of the interim government, Ahmad al-Sharaa. It has been seen as a move away from democracy and direct elections and a challenge of the future of the parliament, especially with regard to representing all the components of the Syrian people in the parliament.

Here, (ANHA) interviewed the head of the Relations Department of the Syria Future Party, Saleh Al-Zouba, who stated that "people's parliaments across the globe are the highest legislative authority responsible for passing the laws and legislations that govern the life of people. The legislative institution can only derive its authority and strength from the way it is organized and how representative it is of society."

According to Al-Zouba, the formation of the parliament is not done according to democratic standards in the international system. Members of the parliament were chosen in committees that received the applications of the applicants, selected them and elected them. The issue of forming the parliament raises some questions about the representation of the people.

He continued to say, "The third part of the people’s deputies being nominated by the leader of the interim government, Ahmad al-Sharaa, is an unordinary procedure for the Syrian people. Many political parties believed this procedure was against the principles of democracy and representation of the population. According to our understanding, the elections take place through a free ballot box vote."

Al-Zouba believes that the effectiveness of the parliament for the coming time will depend on the abilities of the persons chosen and on whether they are equipped with the appropriate level of legal, academic and professional skills since the parliament will be charged with the task of passing legislative decisions and forming committees like economic, military and cultural ones.

He noted that the absence of the proper individuals would harm the laws and decisions passed by the parliament in all fields, such as the cultural, military and economic fields.

Furthermore, he explained that the parliament had many challenges to deal with, especially in regard to reconsidering the laws passed in decades under the Ba’ath party’s rule and making laws that take Syria out of this legal circle.

With respect to the economic file, Al-Zouba highlighted that the parliament carries the main responsibility in resolving the problem of deteriorating living conditions due to poverty and decreased purchasing power. He noted the importance of adopting economic policy that helps in developing the state’s resources and raising the citizens’ income levels, besides eliminating the tax burdens imposed on Syrians.

Concerning the representation of different Syrian components, Al-Zouba pointed out that the parliament has not succeeded in achieving balanced representation. He said that the Kurdish component especially in the Jazira province has not been given appropriate representation according to its magnitude, and some Kurdish people included in the assembly do not represent the Kurdish people.

Finally, Al-Zouba reiterated that despite all of the deficiencies related to its establishment, the parliament is facing a serious challenge now. This challenge includes exercising effective supervision over the government, making legislation that benefits the citizens, and representing all the Syrians regardless of their origins and religions.

ANHA