Local committees in Syria began selecting part of the members of the first post-Assad Parliament on Sunday, a process criticised for its lack of democracy due to a third of the members being appointed by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa.
This Parliament aims to solidify the power of Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led an Islamist coalition to overthrow Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, ending over 13 years of civil war.
In Damascus, an AFP journalist observed dozens of local committee members queuing at the National Library of Syria.
Preliminary results are expected shortly, with Syrian state television announcing that vote counting has already started in some locations. The final list of names is set to be revealed on Monday.
Two northeastern provinces under Kurdish control, along with the Druze-majority province of Sweida, which has seen recent violence, are excluded from this process. As a result, 32 of the 210 seats will remain vacant, and women are significantly under-represented.
The future Parliament, with a renewable term of two and a half years, will include 140 members chosen by local committees set up by an electoral commission appointed by al-Chareh, while 70 members will be directly appointed by the interim president.
