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Syria Holds Indirect Vote for First Post-Assad Parliament as Results Pending

Authorities cite mass displacement to justify an invite-only process that reserves one-third of seats for presidential appointment, drawing rights‑group warnings about concentrated power.

A Syrian election official shows a ballot paper during the counting of ballots, shortly after polling stations closed at Latakia's Governor building, in the coastal city of Latakia, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa waves as he enters a polling station where electoral college members are voting in a parliamentary election in Damascus, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Omar Sanadiki)
Syria will select members for its first parliament since Islamist rebels overthrew Bashar al-Assad
Syrian electoral college members and candidates attend the ballots' count shortly after polling stations closed at Latakia's Governor building, in the coastal city of Latakia, Syria, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Overview

  • Roughly 6,000 electoral‑college members voted on Sunday to fill two-thirds of the 210-seat People’s Assembly, with preliminary tallies expected within hours and the final list due Monday.
  • Interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa will appoint the remaining 70 lawmakers to complete the chamber’s lineup.
  • The transitional assembly carries a renewable 30‑month mandate to pass an elections law and draft a permanent constitution before future nationwide polls.
  • Voting was postponed in Druze‑majority Sweida and in Kurdish‑held northeastern areas, leaving 32 seats vacant until conditions allow a vote.
  • Rights groups criticize the centrally managed, indirect system as unrepresentative and note that only about 14% of more than 1,500 candidates are women, while authorities say direct elections are not feasible due to displacement and missing documents.