Syria holds first elections since fall of Bashar al-Assad | Syria
Syria has long been organizing the first parliamentary elections since the fall of the ruler Bashar al -Assad for a temporary step towards democratic polls criticized in favor of the country’s temporary leaders.
As the protected country of the war progresses in its political transition after ASSAD for more than a decade, the members of the local committees begin the important milestone of the voting parliament.
One-third of the parliamentary seats will be appointed directly by the temporary leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, with a movement that reinforces its power. Two -thirds of the seats will be selected through the state -based election colleges distributed by the population.
There was no direct popular vote, as temporary authorities said that the displacement of citizens and the loss of documents during the war years would make such a step impossible at this stage.
During a speech in the National Library in Damascus, Sharaa said: “There are many waiting laws that must be voted for us to progress with the building and welfare process.
Temporary officials, after receiving power of Syria’s rubber stamp terminated the legislature.
The new 210 -member People’s Assembly will be assigned to pass a new election law and constitution. According to the organization committee, more than 1,500 candidates, which will have a 30-month task while preparing for future polls, are only working for women-Mislis.
According to the rules, candidates should not be “supporters of the old regime ve and should not encourage separation or department.
These include the first Syrian-American Henry Hamra, the first Jewish candidate since the 1940s.
The elections were postponed indefinitely in areas controlled by local authorities and Damascus in the province of Drze-Majority Sweida and Kurdish-led by the Kurdish-led Syrian democratic forces.
Critics argue that the election college system may prefer well -related candidates and that the temporary government can provide an unfair advantage while excluding some ethnic and religious minorities. But for others, the election was a sign of progress.
When the election authorities approached to join the Election College, Lina Daaboul, a doctor in Damascus, said that she was initially afraid of the responsibility of the past assemblies and the “ugly image”. However, after learning, he accepted that he would be a part of the organ that voted and called it a “national task ..
Daaboul said on the election day: “I voted for the first time in this life. I am happy and I don’t care to stop in a long time.”
Lara Eezouki, a member of the National Election Committee in Damascus, contained all sects and groups of the new assembly and said, “For the first time in Syria’s history, when the ballot box really prevailed – when the results were not pre -adjusted”.
Ibrahim Halabi, a former soldier under the rule of Assad, was greeted with a ruthless pressure that escaped after the anti -mass anti -government protests and a civil war that followed the civil war in 2011: “This for the first time in our lives, we participated in a democratic election process without external pressure.”
Sharaa’s Islamist forces directed a coalition that overthrew Assad in December.
Associated Press and Agency France-Presse contributed to this report
