The almost 14-year civil war in Syria has deeply divided the country. For security reasons, as the authorities said, the election was postponed in several provinces. In the southern province of Suwaida as well as in parts of the northeastern provinces Hasaka and Rakka, it should take place at a later date. It remains to be seen how these areas will be represented in the new parliament.
The provinces of Hasaka and Rakka are under the control of the Kurdish -guided Syrian democratic forces (SDF). The Drusian community is located in Suwaida in southern Syria. The relationships between the Kurds and the Drusen to the Syrian government are tense. It was only in July that there were fatal clashes between Drusian militias and Sunni tribal groups, which were supported by the government in Damascus.
“The upcoming elections do not expect any signs of real change in Syria,” said SDF spokesman Farhad al-Schami of the German Press Agency. The trust of the Kurds in the new rulers is low.
Syria’s population looks at the choice with mixed feelings. After decades of authoritarian rule, many hope for a first step towards democracy.
Others criticize. The electoral system is not based on competence, but on personal calculations, said a resident in Aleppo. “We freed ourselves from the unit list of the Baath party just to fall for a small group policy,” said Abdulasis Chalaf. Further fear that Syria’s politics could be shaped by rivalries, in which qualified candidates were excluded just because they belonged to the wrong groups.
Despite all the defects, experts see the choice as a necessary intermediate step after more than a decade of civil war. Internationally, the process – especially with regard to the representation of minorities – is observed closely. However, whether a long -term democratic change can be started in Syria depends primarily on future reforms and possible subsequent free elections.
