Damascus begins parliamentary elections on Sunday in areas controlled by the country’s government, as President Bashar al-Assad served 20 years in power amid continued war and deep economic problems.
More than 2,000 candidates, including businesspeople under recently imposed sanctions by the United States, will participate in the legislative elections, the third since the start of the 2011 protests and the ensuing civil war.
Elections, originally scheduled for April, were postponed twice due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Although there are several lists in the polls, opposition to al-Assad’s Baath party is absent in the elections.
Opposition groups traditionally tolerated by the government are expected to boycott the polls and The Baath party is guaranteed to monopolize the new parliament as it has in previous elections.
In the last vote in 2016, the Baath and its allies took 200 of the 250-seat parliament, while the remaining seats were for independent candidates.
Observers say the contest lacks credibility, as most of the candidates are part of al-Assad’s Baath party or loyal to his regime.
“Most Syrians believe that the election is just a regime-controlled process to represent itself as a legitimate authority in Syria,” said Zaki Mehchy, senior consultant at Chatham House and co-founder of the Syrian Center for Policy Research .
“People know that most MPs are nominated by the Baath party and all of them need a security approval based on loyalty and not on qualifications,” he added.
Karam Shaar, a Syria expert at the Middle East Institute, said: “The al-Assad regime uses parliamentary elections to reward loyalty. This time, warlords and militiamen are expected to win even more seats for his contributions to the state over the state. last four years. “
Syrian children living in the Atmeh camp near the Turkey-Syria border. [File: Khalil Ashawi/Reuters]
Economic problems
More than 7,000 polling stations have been established in approximately 70 percent of the country where the al-Assad government maintains control.
Government forces have been pressing to regain control over areas overwhelmed by opposition and rebel groups since the start of the war.
Al-Assad’s troops regained control over eastern Ghouta in 2018 and southern parts of Idlib after the launch of a Russia-backed offensive to retake the northwestern province in late 2019.
Other parts of Idlib remain as the last rebel-controlled stronghold in the country, while vast tracts of land along the Turkey-Syria border host millions of Syrians internally displaced from the war.
Syrians living abroad, including millions of refugees forced to flee their homes due to the fighting, will not participate in the elections.
Citizens who cast their ballots in Sunday’s vote are expected to focus on the high cost of living and the country’s dire economic situation.
“With almost 90 percent of the country plunging into poverty, people are increasingly focused on meeting their basic needs,” Shaar said.
Syria’s economy has been in free fall in recent months with the pound losing around 70 percent of its value, making the price of basic commodities now inaccessible to many Syrians.
Still, observers say that most Syrians believe that parliament is not the right channel to solve their economic problems.
“The economic situation is suffocating the average Syrian both in the government and in the rebel areas,” said independent researcher Malak Chabkoun.
He explained that a deteriorating economy and United States sanctions will be at the forefront of the voting agenda, but people will vote for the candidates, “they were told. [by the government] vote for “.
“The Baath party candidates have [also] This time he added US sanctions to his platform to gain support and cry a victim, “he added, referring to a series of recently imposed US sanctions, known as the Cesar Law, that target companies, institutions and individuals doing business with the -Assad government. .
While analysts say the legislation affects al-Assad’s government and its local and foreign sponsors, humanitarian and civilian efforts in Syria and neighboring Lebanon have also been affected by the sanctions.
Displaced Syrians passing their makeshift tents in Idlib, Syria [File: Getty Images]
Lack of international recognition.
After the vote, the new parliament plans to pass a new constitution, and al-Assad is expected to appoint a new prime minister. The new parliament is also expected to approve candidates for the upcoming presidential elections.
But experts say the international community will not recognize the vote.
“The international community and political opposition groups will not recognize this parliament as legitimate,” said Mehchy.
“A new constitution can only be approved by a new parliament based on a transparent election in which refugees and Syrians outside the country have the right to vote,” he explained, adding tThe next parliament will only approve candidates “nominated and approved by security agencies“
Al-Assad came to power at the age of 34 in 2000 after almost 30 years of his father’s rule. He was elected to a third seven-year term in 2014, and the government claimed that more than 88 percent of the votes were in his favor.
His time in power was clouded by a bloody civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions of Syrians inside and outside the country.
Commenting on al-Assad’s 20 years in power, Chabkoun said: “Bashar has followed the same pattern [as his father’s] to quell any opposition, disappear people who speak out against your government, and continue to control the country’s assets and resources for the benefit of your family and friends. “
According to Freedom House, the Syrian government is considered “one of the most repressive regimes in the world”, which, together with “other belligerent forces”, has seriously compromised the political rights and civil liberties of Syrians.
According to Mehchy, the al-Assad government has been “a catastrophic era, especially the years of conflict since 2011,” to which he said government policies during the first 10 years contributed as “root causes.”
“These policies neglected the economic and political exclusion that most Syrians suffered from,” Mehchy said.
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