But the elections held on Sunday are not even completely democratic processes. Rather, most people’s meeting seats will be voted from electoral universities in each district, while a third of the seats will be directly appointed by interim ruler Ahmad Alshara.
Despite not a popularity vote, election results could be viewed as a barometer of how serious interim authorities are, particularly regarding the inclusivity of women and minorities.
The People’s Assembly has 210 seats, two-thirds of which will be elected on Sunday and a third will be appointed. The seats that are elected are voted by district election universities across the country, and the number of seats in each district is distributed by population.
Theoretically, a total of 7,000 elected college members from 60 districts selected from the pool of applicants in each district by committees appointed for purposes should vote for 140 seats.
However, elections in Sweida and the northeast, controlled by Kurdish-led Syrian democrats, have been postponed indefinitely due to tensions between local authorities in those regions and the Damascus central government. That means those seats remain empty.
Parliamentary elections in Syria are being held amidst heavy security presence across major cities, including Damascus, Dara, Hama and Latakia.
Following the rise of a new regime of control, elections have been described as replicas of a particular Arab government system. This is an exercise carried out under the guise of democracy, and there is no true representation of the Syrians in Congress.
This process is characterized not only by intense security, media and social pressures aimed at ensuring the victory of certain political groups, but also by widespread restrictions on candidacy. Additionally, extraordinary regulations have been introduced that govern the election process, further questioning its transparency and legitimacy.
MNA/