Syria sets October date for first election since al-Assad’s fall

On October 5, Syria will elect a new People’s Assembly, the first parliament to be elected since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster late last year.

According to the state-run SANA news agency, the vote will take place “across all electoral districts.”

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The new government’s announcement comes as it works to reestablish state institutions and gain legitimacy amid regional and international efforts to stabilize the nation’s shattered nation.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa will choose a third of the assembly’s 210 seats directly. The electoral commission’s local committees will select the rest, according to local committees’ selection. The chamber will be given the task of ratifying treaties that could transform Syria’s foreign policy and passing legislation that will replace decades of state-controlled economic policies.

Following al-Assad’s ouster in December after nearly 14 years of civil war, the new parliament is expected to “lay the groundwork for a wider democratic process,” according to SANA. Critics, however, warn that the country’s marginalized communities are not adequately represented by the current system.

Initial estimates indicated that the election would take place in September. Due to security concerns, the electoral commission previously stated that polling would be postponed in the provinces of Suwayda, Hasakah, and Raqqa.

Hasakah and Raqqa are still largely under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, despite the fact that Suwayda was the site of recent fighting between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes in July.

The interim period until the election was outlined in a constitutional declaration issued by al-Sharaa’s government in March.

The document defends women’s rights and freedom of expression while maintaining Islamic law’s crucial role. Opponents expressed concern that the framework would transfer too much power to the Syrian government.

Al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda leader whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) organization was crucial in al-Assad’s fall, has also used regional diplomacy to bolster his government and Syria’s security.