Syria: Ba’ath party remains in control of parliament

Since it seized power 61 years ago, the ruling Ba’ath party has taken control of the Syrian Parliament, winning 170 seats out of 250 in the People’s Assembly of Syria, reported Asharq Al-Awsat and the Arab News on July 19th.

Voting took place across 8,151 centres in government-held areas of Syria on July 15th, with a turnout of 38% of 19.3 million eligible voters, according to election officials. No elections took place in the regions held by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria, nor in those controlled by the Syrian opposition in the country’s north-west.

Several districts such as Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Daraa faced repeats in voting as election officials found irregularities such as voters casting their ballot twice. Some heads of electoral centres were referred to the judiciary for supposed electoral violations.

Syrians outside the country are not eligible to vote in parliamentary elections as possible in the presidential elections.

According to the lists announced by the Ba’ath Party’s regional leadership, Ba’ath Party members topped the election results by a significant margin. The Homs governorate saw the highest voter turnout, with more than 600,000 voters.

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A total of 1,516 candidates stood to compete over the 250 assembly seats. In reality, only 65 of those seats could truly be contested as the Ba’ath and parties allied to it had already presented a list of 185 candidates. It is expected that candidates who succeed in the Ba’ath party primaries will win seats on the final list.

The ruling party’s power also extended beyond its majority through its pro-government coalition of broadly left-wing parties, which won 14 seats. This brought the National Progressive Front’s majority to 185, with 8 seats gained from the 2020 election. Independent candidates won the remaining 66 seats in the national assembly.

Judge Jihad Murad, who heads the Supreme Judicial Committee for Elections, has stated that the ministry has sought to ensure a democratic climate that allows for a smooth and fair voting process.

Murad added that the results reflected “the broadest representation of the Syrian people in their various groups and sectors.”

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The vote is the fourth since the Syrian civil war started in March 2011 and is widely regarded by independent election monitors as a sham to rubberstamp the legitimacy of Bashir al Assad’s rule.

President Assad’s presidency is set to end in 2028 due to current term limits; however, the next parliament is widely expected to extend his term by attempting to pass a constitutional amendment.

Such an amendment requires 188 votes to pass, just over the number of seats the Ba’ath and allied parties currently hold. Though nominally independent candidates generally appear to be loyal to the government.

Asharq al-Awsat / Arab News / AP and agencies