Syria held the third parliamentary elections in Syria this Sunday since the beginning of the war. With the ballot boxes closed, scrutiny has already begun with the votes in favour of the citizens. The armed conflict began more than nine years ago, and Syrians have had to vote once again under the threat of war.

However, it has only been possible to vote in areas controlled by the Government, specifically in 70 per cent of the territory of the Arab Republic. In the regions under the Sunni Islamist opposition there is no electoral system. For the time being, the Idleb Province in the north-west and the surrounding areas of Aleppo and Hama are in the hands of these groups. The northeast, on the other hand, is controlled by the Kurdish forces, beyond the historic territories of Syrian Kurdistan.

But in addition to the war, the country has been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis. The destabilising situation has led to several protests in recent weeks in defence of economic reform and against corruption. However, al-Assad and Baaz are expected to ratify the hegemony in the presidential elections this Sunday and next year. The victory of the war against Daesh has directly influenced the prestige of the president and the government. This Sunday’s elections had to be held spontaneously in April, but were delayed due to cuts imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

New Constitution

Meanwhile, the Baaz party and several members of the opposition have started talks in Geneva, Switzerland, since October last year, with civil society actors and with the support of the United Nations. If an agreement is reached, the majority party in Parliament will have the power to implement the agreement and to decide on tempus. The Mandate Time Limitation Act, for example, could be applied after the 2021 elections, but for that it would have to win the opposition. Of the 250 seats at stake, 127 will be for staff and farmers, while the remaining 123 will be distributed among other delegates and delegates. More than two thousand candidates have been nominated, with the exception of some opposition leaders linked to Islamist groups.

War balance of the opposition

But it seems that a complete military victory is not going to be possible. At least this has been expressed by countries supporting the war parties: Russia and Iran, allies of Al-Assad, and Turkey, which supports Islamist opposition groups. The three last met on 1 July, and all stressed the need to "maintain truce in the province of Idleb". A year ago, the loyal Assad troops launched an offensive against the Al Qaeda branch in Idlib in order to demolish the last bastion of the Islamist opposition. The Syrian Arab Army has not achieved its goal. On the other hand, Turkey, after invading the country last March, controls a large border strip in northeastern Syria. The Kurdish militias, for their part, have been made with the help of the United States in the east of the country. The area has large oil reserves that Kurdish militias illegally rob and export to finance their operations.

Drowned by economic sanctions

The fight for total independence is on a huge slope for Syria, as the COVID-19 economic crisis is further exacerbated by US sanctions. However, the elections have called into question the legitimacy of the military occupation and have again reflected the will of the Syrians.

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