Syrians vote for their next parliament

Fixing hobbling economy key issue

DAMASCUS, SYRIA • Syrians were voting for members of a new parliament in an election Monday that was expected to hold few surprises but could pave the way for a constitutional amendment to extend the term of President Bashar Assad.

The vote is the fourth in Syria since mass anti-government protests in 2011 and a brutal crackdown by security forces spiralled into an ongoing civil war. It comes as an economic crisis grips the country, fuelling demonstrations in the south.

Syria’s 2024 parliamentary election excludes rebel-held northwest Syria and the country’s northeast controlled by U.s.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces. The number of eligible voters hasn’t been announced either, and unlike presidential elections, the millions of diaspora Syrians — whose numbers have ballooned since the civil war — are not qualified to vote for the legislators.

Western countries and Assad’s critics say the polling in government-held areas in Syria is neither free nor fair.

This year, 1,516 government-approved candidates are running for the 250-seat People’s Assembly. Some 8,151 polling stations were set up in 15 voting districts in government-held areas, with results expected to be announced Monday night or the following day.

In the last round of elections in 2020, the outcome was delayed for days due to technical issues, according to officials. Assad’s Baath Party won 166 seats, in addition to 17 others from allied parties, while 67 seats went to independent candidates.

The poll is taking place as Syria’s economy continues to deteriorate after years of conflict, Western-led sanctions, the COVID-19 pandemic and dwindling aid due to donor fatigue.

Meanwhile, the value of the country’s national currency against the dollar has reached new lows, sparking food and fuel inflation. The government also partially rolled back its subsidy program almost a year ago while at the same time doubling public sector and pension wages.

Voters told The Associated Press that fixing Syria’s hobbling economy is a key issue.

“We hope that our trust in these new legislators will bring good to the country and improve conditions,” said Ahmad al-afoush, 40, after voting in Damascus.

In the Druze-majority southern province of Sweida, where anti-government protests have been taking place regularly for nearly a year due to economic misery, many called for a boycott of the polls. Videos posted online by Suwayda24, a local activist media collective, and others showed protesters grabbing ballot boxes off a truck in an attempt to stop them from reaching the polling stations.