New Syrian Parliament Dominated By Sunni Muslims and Men, Critics Say New Regime Benefits

Syria’s new government this week published the results of its first parliamentary election since the overthrow of former President Bashar Assad this week, with some hailing the vote as a milestone in a country ravaged by years of civil war, while others warned that the final tally only benefits the country’s new rulers, Al Jazeera reported. 

Results published Monday showed that a majority of the 119 individuals selected for the new People’s Assembly are Sunni Muslims and male. Electoral commission spokesperson Nawar Najmeh said women made up four percent of the members, while Christians secured only two seats in the 210-seat legislature. 

Sunday’s vote saw around 6,000 members of regional electoral colleges vote for two-thirds of the new legislature, while President Ahmed al-Sharaa will appoint the remaining third. 

The Syrian government said it used an indirect voting system – instead of universal suffrage – because of a lack of reliable population data after 14 years of civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. 

However, voting was postponed in Kurdish-controlled areas and the Druze-held province of Suwayda over security concerns, leaving 21 seats vacant. Najmeh said a supplementary vote would be held later this year. 

The elections were the first held since Assad’s ouster in December and are part of al-Sharaa’s efforts to unite the fractured country. 

But political analysts, activists, and Syrian minorities criticized the results because of their lack of inclusivity and transparency. They cautioned that the vote favored well-connected candidates and shored up the power of Syria’s new rulers. 

Najmeh acknowledged the limited female and Christian representation but rejected calls for a quota system. 

Meanwhile, Sunday’s election took place amid continuing instability and a stalled power-sharing deal between Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which was intended to integrate Kurdish-administered institutions into the state by the end of the year. 

On Monday, clashes broke out in the northern city of Aleppo between the Syrian army and the SDF after government troops sealed off two Kurdish-held districts, prompting protests and armed clashes that killed at least three security personnel, Reuters noted. 

The SDF accused Damascus of attempting to “enter Kurdish districts with tanks” and called for the lifting of what it described as a government-imposed siege.  

Both sides reached a ceasefire Tuesday.