Syria holds first parliamentary elections since fall of Al-Assad
Shafaq News – Damascus
Voting began on Sunday across most Syrian governorates in what officials describe as the first parliamentary election under the “new Syria.”
In Damascus, diplomatic representatives visited polling centers to observe the process, while security forces were stationed outside voting sites to ensure calm.
The Supreme Electoral Commission said 1,578 candidates are competing for 210 parliamentary seats, with women making up about 14 percent of the total.
The elections are being conducted through an indirect voting system, in which local electoral colleges — rather than the general public — select representatives. Two-thirds of the seats will be filled through this process (140 out of 210), while the remaining one-third (70) will be appointed by transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Polling was postponed in Raqqa, al-Hasakah, and Suwayda governorates due to security conditions, according to the election authority.
This vote is the first since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government on 8 December 2024.
No political parties are participating; all candidates are running as independents, and public campaigning has been minimal. Polls will remain open until mid-afternoon, with the possibility of extension.
جانب من انتخابات مجلس الشعب في مركز محافظة طرطوس #انتخابات_مجلس_الشعب #الإخبارية_السورية pic.twitter.com/6iyOAykq3L
— الإخبارية السورية (@AlekhbariahSY) October 5, 2025
The new parliament will serve for a 30-month term, renewable within a transitional phase set to last four years, with a possible one-year extension. Its powers include proposing, approving, amending, or repealing laws, ratifying international treaties, approving the state budget, and issuing general amnesties.
