لماذا تأجلت الانتخابات البرلمانية في 3 محافظات سورية ؟

The Syrian High Electoral Committee announced the postponement of the People's Council elections in the provinces of Sweida, Hasaka, and Raqqa due to security challenges until suitable conditions and a safe environment are available for conducting them.

The committee stated in a statement today (Saturday) that, in its commitment to fair representation in the People's Council for the three Syrian provinces (Sweida - Hasaka - Raqqa), and given the security challenges these provinces are facing, the High Committee decided to postpone the electoral process in those provinces until suitable conditions and a safe environment are available for conducting it. It confirmed that its allocated seats will remain reserved until elections can be held there as soon as possible.

The practical procedures for the Syrian People's Council elections began yesterday (Friday), as announced by the head of the High Committee for the Syrian People's Council elections, Mohammad Taha Al-Ahmad, following the approval of Syrian President Ahmad Al-Shara on the temporary electoral system for the People's Council.

The new electoral system stipulates the formation of a High Electoral Committee appointed by the President of the Republic, which oversees the entire process, whereby two-thirds of the council members, totaling 210, will be elected through local electoral bodies, while the remaining third will be appointed by presidential decree. The seats will also be distributed according to the population distribution of each province.

According to the decree, a member of the electoral body must be Syrian before May 1, 2011, and must not have run for the presidency or the People's Council after 2011, unless it is proven that they defected, and they must not be supporters of the previous regime or terrorist organizations.

Regarding the reason for adopting an indirect system through electoral bodies instead of direct voting, Al-Ahmad said: "Many Syrians inside and outside the country do not possess identification documents due to displacement, destruction, and the burning of civil records by the previous regime, which prompted us to innovate a mechanism that allows the People's Council to function as one of the three authorities in the new Syria."

Regarding concerns about weakening the legitimacy of the council due to the absence of direct voting, he clarified that all Syrians have the right to object to the members of the electoral bodies through the appeals committees spread across 62 electoral districts, ensuring the selection of qualified scientific and community competencies.

The head of the electoral committee confirmed that the upcoming council, expected to be elected in September, will undertake three main roles: legislating laws that align with the current phase, representing the Syrian society in all its diversity, and holding the government accountable through budget oversight.