Syria holds first election since fall of Assad regime
By Eyad Kourdi, CNN
(CNN) — Syria held its first parliamentary elections on Sunday since the fall of the Assad regime, a vote officials described as a milestone in the country’s post-war political transition.
Polling centers opened at 9 a.m. local time (2 a.m. ET) across most provinces, according to the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections. Members of approved electoral bodies cast their ballots using official voting cards. Preliminary results were expected late Sunday, with final results to be announced Monday, state media reported.
Election spokesman Nawar Najmeh told state television that the vote is taking place under a new temporary electoral framework established by a decree issued earlier this year by President Ahmad al-Sharaa. The decree created a 10-member national election committee and set new rules for the transitional period.
The election will fill 210 parliamentary seats under a mixed system in which two-thirds of lawmakers are elected by local bodies and one-third appointed directly by the president. Seats are distributed according to population size and social representation.
However, not all provinces are participating. Voting in most parts of Raqqa and Hasakah will be postponed due to what authorities described as “security and logistical challenges.” All constituencies in Suwayda province will remain vacant until “appropriate conditions” are met.
Raqqa and Hasakah remain under the control of Kurdish-led YPG forces, while Suwayda is dominated by Druze factions loyal to cleric Hikmat al-Hijri. All the three areas are outside the central government’s control.
The campaign period ended Friday after 10 days of political activity that saw 1,578 candidates approved to run, including 14% women. Authorities said the final list of eligible voters excluded individuals linked to the former regime.
Polling stations were scheduled to close at noon (5 a.m. ET), with the option to extend voting until 4 p.m. (9 a.m. ET). Ballot counting will be conducted publicly in the presence of media observers, beginning three hours after polling centers close.
Women are guaranteed a quota of 20% of seats under the new framework. The parliament’s term will last two and a half years, during which the government is expected to prepare for the country’s first direct popular elections.
The exclusion of Kurdish-held and Druze-majority regions, along with the absence of quotas for religious or ethnic minorities, has raised questions about how representative the new parliament will be of Syria’s diverse population.
The issue has become increasingly important following a surge in sectarian clashes in recent months that left hundreds of civilians from Syria’s Alawite and Druze communities dead, many reportedly at the hands of fighters aligned with pro-government forces.
This story has been updated with additional developments.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
