FILE PHOTO: A man casts his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections, in Damascus, Syria July 15, 2024. REUTERS/Yamam al Shaar/File Photo
(Reuters) -Syria is expected to hold its first parliamentary election under the new administration in September, the head of the electoral commission told state news agency SANA on Sunday.
Voting for the 210-member People’s Assembly is scheduled to take place between September 15 and 20, said Mohamed Taha, who is overseeing the electoral process.
President Ahmed al-Sharaa has received a draft electoral law that amends a previous decree and raises the number of seats from 150 to 210. A third of the seats will be appointed by the president.
The government has pledged broad representation and said it will allow foreign observers to monitor electoral committees overseeing the vote.
Officials said areas outside government control, including Kurdish-held regions in northern Syria and the Druze-majority province of Sweida, would continue to have seats allocated based on population.
The new assembly is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader democratic process, which critics say currently lacks sufficient participation from minority groups.
It will also be tasked with approving landmark legislation aimed at overhauling decades of state-controlled economic policies and ratifying treaties that could reshape Syria’s foreign policy alliances.
In March, Syria issued a constitutional declaration to guide the interim period under Sharaa’s leadership. The document preserves a central role for Islamic law while guaranteeing women’s rights and freedom of expression.
It raised concerns of civic groups and Western nations about the concentration of power among the country's Islamist-led leadership.
(Reporting by Hatem Maher, Muhammad Al Gebaly and Suleiman al Khalidi; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Giles Elgood)
