Politicians: Hasakah elections failed to represent Kurds and local society

Anger has escalated in the Kurdish street following the appointment process for members of the “People’s Assembly” in Hasakah Governorate, particularly regarding the number of seats allocated to Kurds. Activists and political parties considered the allocation disproportionate to their population size and the demographic characteristics of Kurdish-majority areas, while community groups described the process as illegitimate and far from being genuine elections.

In this context, member of the political bureau of the Kurdish Democratic Left Party in Syria, Imran Al-Sayyed, said that “the group of parties in the Consultative Meeting has a clear position on what is happening in Syria, especially the People’s Assembly elections, and what took place cannot be described as elections, but rather appointments.”

He added that the process does not differ from previous mechanisms under the Baath Party, in terms of allocating seats to governorates without considering Kurdish particularities or the demographic reality in areas where Kurds live.

Al-Sayyed explained that Kurdish parties had hoped for an electoral process that would reflect the will of the Kurdish street in choosing its representatives in parliament, but representatives were instead selected based on loyalty and considerations unrelated to popular will.

He pointed out that Kurds make up around 20% of Syria’s population, which, in his view, requires broader parliamentary representation, criticizing the allocation of only four seats, warning that this could lead to negative consequences in the future.

For his part, member of the general office of the Kurdish Kurdistan Renewal Movement, Mohammed Zido, said that “a group of parties decided, through a statement, to boycott the electoral process after assessing its procedures in Hasakah, considering that it did not do justice to the Kurdish component or local society.”

Zido added that Kurds constitute around 20% of Syria’s population, and that parties had demanded a number of seats proportional to this percentage. However, the interim government ignored this demand in what he described as unlawful and unclear procedures from the perspective of Syrian society, expressing hope for a future review of the electoral mechanism.

He stressed that this process undermines Kurdish national rights in Syria.

Zido concluded by calling on Kurdish parties that participated in the elections to unify their stance and coordinate jointly in order to strengthen representation of components and ensure the expression of the aspirations of Syrian society in all its diversity.

ANHA