Syria holds first parliamentary elections since Assad's ouster
Syria is conducting its first parliamentary elections since the fall of longtime leader Bashar Assad in December 2024. The vote, taking place on October 5, 2025, involves electoral colleges selecting most seats amid challenges from displacement and regional tensions. While not a full popular vote, the process aims to gauge the interim government's commitment to inclusivity.
The elections mark a significant step in Syria's transition following the rebel offensive that unseated Bashar Assad after his family's 50-year rule. Under Assad, elections were widely seen as shams dominated by the Baath Party, with real competition limited to internal party primaries.
This time, the 210-seat People's Assembly will see two-thirds of seats—140—elected by electoral colleges in districts across the country, while interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa will appoint the remaining one-third. In theory, 7,000 college members from 60 districts would vote, but elections in Druze-majority Sweida province and Kurdish-led northeast areas have been postponed due to tensions with Damascus. As a result, about 6,000 members in 50 districts will fill around 120 seats.
The largest district is Aleppo, with 700 members voting for 14 seats, followed by Damascus with 500 for 10. All candidates are independents, as existing parties tied to Assad were dissolved and no new registration system exists yet.
A popular vote was deemed impossible due to the civil war's displacement of millions and lack of accurate registries. "We don't even know how many Syrians are in Syria today," said Benjamin Feve, a senior research analyst at Karam Shaar Advisory. The parliament's 30-month term will prepare for future direct elections.
Critics question the process's fairness, including opaque selection of electors and unexplained removals from candidate lists. Haid Haid, a senior research fellow at the Arab Reform Initiative and Chatham House, noted the lack of oversight makes it "potentially vulnerable to manipulation."
Inclusivity remains a concern without quotas for women or minorities. Women comprise 20% of electoral colleges but only 14% of the 1,578 final candidates, per state media citing elections committee head Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad. Districts were drawn to preserve minority-majority areas, avoiding dilution into Sunni-majority ones, and al-Sharaa's appointments are intended to boost representation. However, exclusions in Sweida and the northeast highlight ongoing disputes, especially after recent sectarian violence targeting Alawites and Druze.