Syria Vote Criticized Over Exclusions, Appointments

Syria is holding its first parliamentary vote since the fall of Bashar al-Assad under interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, in which roughly 6,000 electoral-college members will choose two-thirds of the 210-seat assembly while Sharaa will directly appoint the remaining 70 members. Under a temporary constitution the new legislature will serve a renewable 30-month term and exercise lawmaking powers until a permanent constitution and direct elections can be arranged. The vote is not taking place in the Druze-majority Sweida province and parts of the Kurdish-held northeast, leaving about 32 seats vacant and with only around 50 of 60 districts participating. More than 1,500 candidates are running — about 14% of them women — and critics say the limited participation, recent sectarian violence and attacks on Christians and Druze undermine inclusivity and the polls’ legitimacy. Sharaa argues direct nationwide elections are currently impossible because millions of Syrians are displaced or undocumented and has pledged at the UN to pursue justice and rebuild state institutions. Observers say the process is a significant stress test for national cohesion and minority rights and that the president’s appointees will heavily shape the new parliament’s composition and authority.