Syria begins accepting candidacy applications for parliamentary poll

Syria on Saturday began accepting candidacy applications for the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 5, marking the first such step since Bashar al-Assad's regime fell in late 2024.

The state-run Alikhbaria channel reported that "applications for candidacy to the People's Assembly (parliament) elections have opened in different provinces of the country."

The broadcaster reported that the Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections designated Saturday and Sunday to receive applications from candidates wishing to contest the elections, in the first measure of its kind since Assad's ouster.

The channel noted that "specialized committees will continue to receive applications in line with legal conditions and approved procedures, ahead of the announcement of the final lists of candidates in the coming period."

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa received the final draft of the temporary electoral law for the parliament in late July and approved it with a decree on August 27.

The decree laid down the conditions for the electoral process, eligibility for membership in the People's Assembly and associated committees, and voting procedures.

According to the decree, the upcoming elections will be held in an indirect system, with "electoral bodies" formed in each district by decision of the relevant judicial committees.

These bodies are made up of a fixed number of members proportional to the number of seats assigned to each district.

Candidates for Assembly membership must be chosen from among the members of these bodies, which then elect the winners to fill the designated seats.

The Assembly has 210 seats, one-third of which are appointed directly by the president, and the remaining two-thirds are elected using this mechanism, which officials say is temporary and related to current circumstances.

Since Assad's ouster in late 2024, Syria's new government has pursued political and economic reforms while promoting social cohesion and expanding cooperation with regional and international partners.

Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. Sharaa's new transitional administration was formed in January.