DAMASCUS (Dispatches) -- Syria was set to form a new parliament in its first elections since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad last year, in a process widely condemned by pro-democracy activists as deeply undemocratic.
A third of the new legislature’s 210 members will be appointed directly by Abu Muhammad al‑Jolani — the leader of Hay’at Tahrir al‑Sham (HTS), known for his past as a commander with ties to Al-Qaeda and Daesh. The remaining two‑thirds will be chosen via local electoral committees handpicked by the HTS‑controlled electoral commission.
According to the organizing committee, over 1,500 candidates are involved, and the parliament will serve a renewable 30‑month mandate. Jolani will appoint 70 representatives, while 140 others will be selected by subcommittees in each governorate. But major regions like Sweida province (Druze‑majority) and parts of the Kurdish northeast are excluded since they fall outside HTS control — their 32 seats will remain empty.
Nawar Najma, spokesperson for the higher committee for the people’s assembly election, said each electoral committee consists of roughly 50 people, selected to exclude any who “support, neither in word nor deed, the defunct Assad government.” But many Syrians see this as a pretext for purging political opposition and restricting representation.
Under a temporary constitution enacted in March, this interim parliament will hold legislative powers until a permanent constitution can be adopted and fresh elections held. However, observers say the system lacks transparency at every step. Haid Haid, a senior research fellow with Arab Reform Initiative and Chatham House, told the Associated Press: “Especially when it comes to choosing the subcommittees and the electoral colleges, there is no oversight, and the whole process is vulnerable to manipulation.”
Activists are also alarmed by actions of HTS forces against minorities. HTS under Jolani has been accused of targeted violence against Alawite, Druze, and Christian communities — including raids of minority shrines, forced displacement, summary killings, and discriminatory neglect in service delivery. These reports exacerbate fears that HTS leadership, while promising inclusivity, is consolidating power in ways that marginalize non‑Sunni or non‑aligned Syrians.
Many Syrians, especially those from minority backgrounds say that the new electoral scheme under HTS is shaping up to entrench a religiously‑influenced, authoritarian rule — granting some veneer of legitimacy, but little real democratic choice or protection of minority rights.