DAMASCUS: Members of local committees in Syria began on Sunday selecting members of a transitional parliament, in a process criticised as undemocratic, with a third of the members appointed directly by interim leader Ahmed Al Sharaa.
The assembly’s formation is set to consolidate the power of Sharaa, whose forces led a coalition that toppled longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December after more than 13 years of civil war.
Dozens of members of the local committees were queueing at Syria’s National Library, formerly called the Assad National Library, to cast their vote.
According to the organising committee, more than 1,500 candidates — just 14 per cent of them women — are running for the assembly, which will have a renewable 30-month mandate.
Assembly’s formation is set to consolidate the power of Al Sharaa
Sharaa is to appoint 70 representatives out of the 210-member body. The other two-thirds will be selected by local committees appointed by the electoral commission, which itself was appointed by Sharaa.
But southern Syria’s Druze-majority Sweida province, which suffered sectarian bloodshed in July, and the country’s Kurdish-held northeast are excluded from the process for now as they are outside Damascus’s control, and their 32 seats will remain empty.
“I support the authorities and I’m ready to defend them, but these aren’t real elections,” said Louay al-Arfi, 77, a retired civil servant sitting with friends at a Damascus cafe.
“It’s a necessity in the transitional phase, but we want direct elections” to follow, he said.
Under a temporary constitution announced in March, the incoming parliament will exercise legislative functions until a permanent constitution is adopted and new elections are held.
Sharaa has said it would be impossible to organise direct elections now, noting the large number of Syrians who lack documentation after millions fled abroad or were displaced internally during the civil war.
Final list likely to be out today
Around 6,000 people are taking part in Sunday’s selection process.
Preliminary results are expected to emerge after it ends, with state TV reporting that some centres started counting the votes.
The final list of names is due to be announced on Monday.
Under the rules, candidates must not be “supporters of the former regime” and must not promote secession or partition. Those running include Syrian-American Henry Hamra, the first Jewish candidate since the 1940s.
“The next parliament faces significant responsibilities, including signing and ratifying international agreements. This will lead Syria into a new phase, and it is a major responsibility,” said Hala al-Qudsi, Damascus’s electoral committee member running for a seat herself.
She was focused on the ongoing talks between Syria and Israel, stating that she would “say ‘no’ to any security agreement with Israel that does not serve the interests of the Syrian people”.
In September, Sharaa voiced hope for a security agreement with Israel.
Rights groups have criticised the selection process, saying it concentrates power in Sharaa’s hands and lacks representation for the country’s ethnic and religious minorities.
In a joint statement last month, more than a dozen groups said the process means Sharaa “can effectively shape a parliamentary majority composed of individuals he selected or ensured loyalty from”.
