Overview

• The first parliamentary selection since Assad’s ouster is underway today, with roughly 6,500 electors choosing 140 members from 1,578 approved candidates as al‑Scharaa appoints 70 more.
• The multi‑stage system is run by local committees chosen by a central commission appointed by al‑Scharaa, a design activists say ensures executive dominance and undermines pluralism.
• Voting is postponed in Suweida and in Kurdish‑held Hasaka and Raqqa; the Kurdish self‑administration rejects the process and 32 seats will remain vacant for now.
• Civil‑society groups call the rules structurally deficient and urge scrapping the presidential appointment power and reorganizing election bodies in consultation with broader stakeholders.
• Authorities cite displacement, missing IDs and wrecked infrastructure to justify indirect voting, while minorities remain on edge after recent mass killings and church attacks documented by reporters and NGOs; results are expected by Monday.