Syria concludes first election since fall of Assad regime - World News Network

Damascus [Syria], October 6 (ANI): Ballot boxes have closed across Syria after the counting continued late into Sunday evening, as the country conducted its first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime, CNN reported.
According to CNN, election spokesman Nawar Najmeh told Syrian state TV al-Ikhbariya that all polling centers had completed voting.
Final results are expected on Monday.
Early counts from Idlib, Deir Ezzor and the Damascus countryside provinces showed no female candidates winning seats so far, according to CNN. Thereby, as a result of this, the 20% quota for women would be expected to be met via one-third of seats appointed directly by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
Overseeing the voting process at the National Library polling center in Damascus, al-Sharaa described the election as “a historic moment for Syrians,” and noted that the country had managed in a matter of few months to organise an electoral process “suited to the realities of this phase.”
“This moment is crucial for all Syrians. It is time to rebuild our nation together,” al-Sharaa said.
Najmeh told the state television that the vote is taking place under a new temporary electoral framework established by a decree issued earlier this year by al-Sharaa. As per CNN ,the decree created a 10-member national election committee and set new rules for the transitional period.
It further reported that the election will fill 210 parliamentary seats under a mixed system wherein two-thirds of lawmakers would be elected by local bodies and one-third appointed directly by the president. Seats are distributed according to population size and social representation.
One of the parliament’s key tasks will be to draft a new constitution for the country and prepare for direct public elections in the next term.
CNN reported that the campaign 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.
However, not all provinces are participating, as per CNN. It said that voting in most parts of Raqqa and Hasakah will be postponed due to “security and logistical challenges” and 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, CNN added.
The elections come amid tensions near Aleppo between the transitional government forces and members of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF operates in eastern Syria and has been fighting ISIS for ten years. They are made up of Kurds, Arabs, and Christians.
They are supposed to integrate into the Damascus-backed new Syrian army. However, integration has not happened. As such, elections are not being held in SDF areas. Elections are not held in the Turkish-occupied area of Tel Abyad either as per Jerusalem Post.
Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Sharaa became the first Syrian leader in nearly 60 years to address the UN General Assembly. In his address he had called for the complete lifting of sanctions on Syria. Al-Sharaa promised to bring to justice everyone responsible for the bloodshed, as well as those who committed atrocities under Assad. (ANI)

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