Transitional Government admits non-inclusive elections of “People’s Assembly”

The Supreme Committee for the “People’s Assembly” elections, affiliated with the Transitional Government in Syria, announced today the postponement of the electoral process in both Sweida and the cantons of North and East Syria. These areas, which lie outside its authority, have from the beginning rejected the elections and deemed them illegitimate in numerous popular, political, and official statements.

Syria is preparing to hold parliamentary elections between September 15 and 20, a process still surrounded by major legal, organizational, and political challenges that are likely to affect the extent to which the elections represent the Syrian people and shape the nature of the entire transitional phase.

The committee, in a statement to a government-run agency, attributed the postponement to what it claimed were “security challenges” in those regions.

The elections are being held in the absence of legal and organizational transparency, placing their legitimacy under serious doubt.

Observers note that the appointment of one-third of the members by Ahmad al-Shar’a, in addition to the selection of electoral bodies through pre-designated committees, reinforces the dominance of the executive authority and renders the upcoming assembly more of a facade than an independent legislative institution.

The Transitional Government’s authority is in fact limited to certain parts of the country, while the cantons of North and East Syria as well as Sweida and its countryside remain beyond its control. Meanwhile, Turkey and its affiliated mercenaries continue to occupy wide areas of the north, raising questions about the inclusiveness of popular representation in the new assembly.

These developments come against the backdrop of the government’s failure to implement the March 10 agreement with the components of North and East Syria regarding institutional participation, further deepening doubts about the inclusivity of the political process.

It is worth noting that the last parliamentary elections in Syria took place in 2024 and were widely described as staged.

On August 7, ANHA agency published an extensive report on the elections the Transitional Government was planning to hold, addressing their prospects for success and their legitimacy.

A-H 

ANHA