Syria concludes first election since fall of Assad regime

By Eyad Kourdi, CNN

(CNN) — Ballot boxes have closed across Syria in the country’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime, as counting continued late into Sunday evening in what officials described as a defining step in Syria’s political transition.

Election spokesman Nawar Najmeh told Syrian state TV al-Ikhbariya that all polling centers had completed voting, with counting underway in several provinces and expected to continue until late Sunday night (5 p.m. ET). Final results are expected Monday.

Early counts from Idlib, Deir Ezzor and the Damascus countryside provinces showed no female candidates winning seats so far. As a result, the 20% quota for women is now expected to be met through the one-third of seats appointed directly by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

Speaking while overseeing the voting process at the National Library polling center in Damascus, al-Sharaa described the election as “a historic moment for Syrians,” saying the country had managed, within just a few months, to organize 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.

He added that many suspended laws “require a functioning parliament to move forward with the process of reconstruction and development.”

Najmeh told 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. The decree created a 10-member national election committee and set new rules for the transitional period.

The election will fill 210 parliamentary seats under a mixed system in which two-thirds of lawmakers are elected by local bodies and one-third appointed directly by the president. Seats are distributed according to population size and social representation.

However, not all provinces are participating. Voting in most parts of Raqqa and Hasakah will be postponed due to what authorities described as “security and logistical challenges.” 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.

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.

The campaign period ended Friday after 10 days of political activity that 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.

The exclusion of Kurdish-held and Druze-majority regions, along with the absence of quotas for religious or ethnic minorities, has raised questions about how representative the new parliament will be of Syria’s diverse population.

The issue has become increasingly important following a surge in sectarian clashes in recent months that left hundreds of civilians from Syria’s Alawite and Druze communities dead, many reportedly at the hands of fighters aligned with pro-government forces.

This story has been updated with additional developments.

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.