Firas Qassas: Delaying Parliament has no political value

The President of the Modernity and Democracy Party for Syria, Firas Qassas, spoke about the formation mechanism of the new Syrian parliament and the postponement of its first session, noting that the key issue is not the timing of its convening but rather the method used to select its members and the nature of its assigned role.

Qassas said he objects, first of all, to the use of the term “elections” in describing what happened in the selection of parliamentary members by the current regime, as well as its widespread use in the media, arguing that such usage involves misleading and “non-innocent semantic manipulation.”

He added that, linguistically, the term “election” simply means “selection,” which, in his view, is exactly what happened: the current system directly appoints one-third of the parliament by the head of the regime, while the remaining two-thirds are completed by sub-bodies overseen by a committee appointed by the president.

He pointed out that applying the term “elections” to this process falsely suggests the existence of democratic legitimacy, whereas elections, in their political meaning, require a popular dimension—meaning that citizens choose freely under conditions of liberty and equal opportunity for candidates, which, he said, “has not happened at all.”

Qassas continued that, in his view, the more important issue is not the reasons for postponing the parliament’s convening, which he considers insignificant. He described the role of the new parliament as “purely formal and without real value,” adding that postponing its session is “like postponing a theatrical performance for logistical reasons or financial calculations by the producing side.”

He further stated that, in his direct assessment, there are no real political value or meaningful reasons behind the delay, as the essential issue lies in the method of selecting parliamentary members and what it reflects about the current political process in Syria.

He stressed that failure to adhere to the scheduled parliamentary date further reveals the superficial nature of its role, exposing what he described as the post-Assad regime’s disregard for Syrian society and political actors, and highlighting its dominance over public life and unilateral control over Syria’s destiny without regard for the will of the people or their historical aspirations for freedom, dignity, justice, and competence.

He added that the core problem in Syria’s new political system goes beyond constitutional formalities or missed deadlines, and even beyond the importance of whether a constitution exists at all.

He said: “A constitution has no real value—it is ‘eaten by a donkey,’ as Al-Maghout used to say—if national balances and institutional structures do not exist to guarantee its strength as a basic law and ensure respect for its principles and limits.”

He asked: “What guarantees respect for a Syrian constitution by an authority that holds the army and security forces and their absolute loyalty?… Nothing, in reality.”

Qassas concluded that it is not prudent to rely on the convening of a non-democratically elected council that plays a purely symbolic role—let alone its delay.

ANHA