🔗 Share this article

The nation is conducting its inaugural assembly votes following the downfall of its longtime ruler, marking a cautious advancement for political voting that have faced criticism as potentially biased toward the country's interim leadership.

Assembly Formation Process

As the war-torn nation moves along its political transformation after Assad, local committee members are beginning the notable phase of selecting a provisional legislative body.

One-third of assembly seats will be assigned through the transitional head in a move interpreted as reinforcing his authority. The other 67% will be elected via regional electoral bodies, with seats allocated according to population.

Electoral Process Details

Nationwide balloting has been omitted because provisional officials indicated the extensive movement of citizens and documentation loss throughout conflict periods would cause this action impractical presently.

"There are numerous awaiting bills needing ratification to move forward with rebuilding and growth initiatives. Reconstructing the nation constitutes a collective mission, and the entire population should participate to this endeavor."

The provisional leadership terminated the former ceremonial parliament following their takeover.

Legislative Body Structure

The newly established 210-representative assembly, termed the Citizens' Parliament, will undertake passing fresh voting laws and a constitution. Based on administrative groups, over 1,500 contenders – merely 14% female representation – are vying for positions in the assembly, which will work under a renewable 30-month term while arranging future elections.

Applicant Conditions

Following set rules, would-be legislators cannot endorse the ousted leadership while refraining from advocating division or separation.

Among those running appears a Syrian-American the candidate Hamra, the inaugural Jewish candidate in over eight decades.

Area Voting Delays

Electoral activities were delayed without timeline in the predominantly Druze Sweida region and in territories controlled by Kurdish-led forces due to ongoing tensions between local authorities and the central government.

Varied Responses

Detractors argue the representative voting process may favor influential figures, giving the transitional government unfair edge while excluding specific cultural and faith groups. However, for other observers, the election represented a progressive step.

Personal Experiences

When approached by voting authorities to participate in the delegate body, the physician Daaboul, a physician in the capital, explained her initial rejection, concerned about the duty and negative perception of previous assemblies. Yet after discovering she would merely serve within the electoral college, she accepted, labeling it "a national obligation".

During voting day, she commented: "This constitutes my debut electoral participation in my lifetime. I'm content, and I'm prepared queuing for considerable time."

Lara Eezouki, a national elections committee representative in Damascus, noted that the current legislature contains every faith group and population segments and called it "the historic first occasion in the nation's past that voting actually determines – without prearranged results".

The ex-military Halabi, formerly working in the previous government yet switched sides after widespread demonstrations encountered violent responses and initiated domestic fighting over a decade ago, remarked: "This represents the pioneering moment throughout our lifetime we've engaged in a free voting process without external pressure."