Daijiworld Media Network - Damascus

Damascus, Sep 22: Syria is set to hold elections for a new People’s Assembly on October 5, marking the first parliamentary vote since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad late last year, state-run SANA reported.

The elections will take place across all electoral districts, as the new government aims to rebuild state institutions and establish legitimacy amid regional and international efforts to stabilise the war-torn nation.

A third of the 210 assembly seats will be directly appointed by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, while the remaining seats will be filled by local committees under the supervision of the electoral commission. The parliament will oversee legislation to reform decades of state-controlled economic policies and ratify treaties that could shape Syria’s foreign relations.

SANA stated that the new assembly is expected to lay the groundwork for a broader democratic process following al-Assad’s removal in December after nearly 14 years of civil war. Critics, however, warn that the system fails to adequately represent Syria’s marginalised communities.

The vote, initially scheduled for September, had seen delays in provinces like Suwayda, Hasakah, and Raqqa due to security concerns. Suwayda experienced clashes in July between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes, while Hasakah and Raqqa remain partially controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Earlier this year, al-Sharaa’s administration issued a constitutional declaration to guide the interim period until the election. The document preserves a central role for Islamic law while guaranteeing women’s rights and freedom of expression, though opponents argue it concentrates too much power in the leadership.

Al-Sharaa, a former al-Qaeda commander and key figure in al-Assad’s fall, has also pursued regional diplomacy, emphasizing that security talks with Israel are a necessity, while insisting that any agreement must respect Syria’s territorial integrity and halt Israeli airspace violations.

The upcoming elections are viewed as a crucial step in Syria’s post-conflict political transition and a test for the newly formed government’s ability to stabilise the country and rebuild state institutions.