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Syria held its first parliamentary elections on Sunday, almost a year after a surprising rebellion overthrew longtime President Bashar al-Assad in December.
Security forces were deployed at polling stations around the country. Members of the Election College entered the voting booth and filled the votes. He was then drawn out in front of candidates, journalists and observers of the Syrian Bar Association and placed in a sealed box until he was counted.
However, the election did not feature in-person voting by Syrian citizens.
New People’s Assembly has 210 seats, with 40 seats over less than Al-Assad. Members of the new assembly will also serve two and a half years.
Incumbent President Ahmed Alshara has appointed 70 members to Congress, with 140 assertions 140 being voted by a subcommittee overseen by the 11 Supreme Committee appointed by Alshara.
Officials say the election was not a direct vote because it lacked “reliable census data” after millions of people were evacuated in a brutal civil war.
Around 7,000 people are eligible to vote and are eligible to vote at regional voting universities, but the election was postponed indefinitely in areas controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian democratic forces due to tensions between Sweida and local authorities and Damascus.
Candidates must also meet certain criteria to be eligible to be run in elections. Approximately 70% of MPs must be academics or experts, and 30% of those who occupy the 140 available seats are “prominent members” of the community and must complete a degree.
The new People’s Assembly will be tasked with passing new election laws and constitutions as the country moves through the post-Assad political transition.
Critics argue that elections do not fall short of a complete democracy, and point out that the electoral university system could support candidates tied to integrate power within the interim government.
In Damascus, the capital, 490 candidates competed for 10 seats, with only 500 voters at the voting university.
But for others, elections were a sign of progress. The first results on Sunday evening showed that there were few seats in which women and minorities won.
Lala Ezki, a member of Damascus’ National Election Commission, said the new parliament includes all denominations and groups, saying “the ballot box truly controls – the first in Syrian history when results are not pre-determined.”
Comparing the election under Assad with today’s election, lawyer Lim Yazizi is a member of the election body of Damascus and a candidate for the People’s Assembly, “It is enough to mention the freedom factors, the election statements and the debates we saw and participated in.
Three Sunni candidates have won the votes in Latakia, a former Al-Assad base and home to a large Alawian community.
In March 2025, a sectarian revenge attack killed hundreds of Alawian civilians along Syrian Mediterranean coasts in Latakia and Tartus, in addition to the armed groups in which the former president attacked new interim government security forces.
“All those who said the situation in Latakia was good (previously),” said Lola Daya, one of the newly elected lawmakers. “Of course, internal tensions remain. It takes time to resolve. Transitional justice is needed, so we can move towards citizen peace.”
The election is a historic moment after Bashar and his father Hafez, the oppressive al-Assad rule of the dynasty for over 50 years, and another test of the new government.
Syrians hope that this new and elected government will pave the way for future direct elections and lead the country to a free and democratic future. They also hope that the new government will lead to greater economic stability and revive an economy that has been abused by the war.
Additional sources •AP
