For the First Time in Syria, 'the Ballot Box Truly Rules'

Syria held its first parliamentary elections on Sunday, nearly a year after a rebel-led offensive unseated longtime autocratic leader Bashar Assad. The People's Assembly will be tasked with passing a new elections law and constitution as the country moves through its post-Assad political transition after more than a decade of civil war, the AP reports. Across the country, security forces were deployed around polling stations. Inside, electoral college members entered polling booths to fill out their ballot papers with lists of names that were then placed in a sealed box until they were pulled out and counted in front of candidates, journalists, and observers from the Syrian bar association. Interim authorities say a popular vote is impossible now due to the displacement of citizens and the loss of documents.

• How it works: There was no direct popular vote. Two-thirds of the 210-member assembly seats will be elected through province-based electoral colleges, with seats distributed by population, while one-third will be appointed directly by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa. In theory, 7,000 electoral college members across 60 districts are eligible to vote for 140 seats, but elections were postponed indefinitely in Sweida province and in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces due to tensions between local authorities and Damascus. "There are many pending laws that need to be voted on so that we move forward with the process of building and prosperity," al-Sharaa said in a speech, adding, "Building Syria is a collective mission, and all Syrians must contribute to it."
• Response: There's criticism that the elections fall short of full democracy, and that the electoral college system may favor well-connected candidates, consolidating power within the interim government. Other Syrians see the election as a sign of progress.
• Reluctant elector: When approached by election officials to join the electoral college, Lina Daaboul, a doctor in Damascus, said she initially declined, fearing the responsibility and the "ugly image" of past assemblies. But after learning she'd only be part of the voting body, she agreed, calling it "a national duty." In Damascus, 490 candidates competed for 10 seats, with 500 voters in the electoral college. Then she dived in. "I studied the profiles of many candidates and attended meetings. I didn't stop there. I called people to ask about the candidates, their histories and what others thought of them," she said. On election day, she said: "This is the first time I've ever voted in my life. I'm happy, and I don't mind standing in line for a long time."

• The changes: Lara Eezouki, a member of the national elections committee in Damascus, noted that the new assembly includes all sects and groups and said it's "the first time in Syria's history that the ballot box truly rules—when the results are not prearranged." Comparing elections under Assad to those today, Rim Yajizi, a lawyer, member of Damascus' electoral body and candidate for the People's Assembly, said: "It's enough to mention the freedom factor, the electoral statements and the debates we watched and participated in. We had never seen anything like it before."