Syria to hold first parliamentary election after Assad's ouster

Syria will hold its first parliamentary elections in September since the fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, the head of the election organising body said on Sunday.

Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, the chief of the Syrian Electoral Commission, announced that the elections will take place between September 15 and 20.

One-third of the parliamentary seats will be appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, while the remaining seats will be filled through public voting.

The Syrian Electoral Commission will set up electoral colleges in every province to facilitate voting for the elected seats.

The Syrian government has vowed to ensure broad representation, promising electoral space for minority communities and pledging to allow international observers to monitor the electoral process.

The Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria and the Druze-majority province of Sweida—both currently outside government control—will have their seats allocated based on population.

Notably, in March this year, Al-Sharaa signed a temporary constitution and ordered the formation of a People’s Committee to serve as an interim parliament until a permanent constitution is adopted and general elections are held.

According to a statement from the presidency, the local electoral bodies will be formed within about three weeks of the signing of the decree laying out the temporary system, SANA cited Ahmad as saying.

After that, candidacies will open, with hopefuls given about a week to prepare their platforms before debates are held.

The assembly will have a renewable mandate of 36 months, according to the constitutional declaration adopted in March.

The declaration stated that the parliament would exercise legislative powers until a permanent constitution was adopted and new elections were held.

The announcement of Parliamentary elections by Syria’s interim government comes amid ongoing communal clashes with minority communities.

Since Assad’s fall, government security forces under Al-Sharaa have been accused of committing acts of violence against the Druze, Alawites, and other religious minorities.

Earlier this month, sectarian violence erupted in the southern province of Suwayda. Reports indicate that at least 903 people were killed in the clashes.

In response, Israel intervened in support of the Druze, bombing dozens of locations, including the Defense Ministry headquarters in Damascus.

(With inputs from AFP)