Governing Baath Party wins Syrian parliamentary election
The ruling Syrian Baath Party was able to expand its majority in this week's parliamentary elections, according to Syrian Supreme Electoral Council head Jihad Murad, who announced the winners at a press conference. The comparison with the candidate list showed that the Baath Party secured 169 of the 250 parliamentary seats.
Murad reported a voter turnout of 38.16%. In the 2020 election, voter turnout was 33%, while in 2016 it was 57%. This was the fourth parliamentary election in Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011. The opposition living in exile denounced the election as illegitimate.
The Baath Party, led by President Bashar al-Assad since 1963, and its allied parties had few opponents and won a total of 185 seats. In the last election, they won 177 seats. The remaining 65 seats were won by candidates who ran as "Independents," but many of them also campaigned on Baath lists.
Following the constituent session of the parliament, a chairperson will be elected. The current caretaker government will remain in power until President Assad appoints a prime minister, who will then form a new government. Assad has been in power for over two decades.
Syrians in the Kurdish-controlled northeast, along the northern border with Turkey, and in the Idlib region controlled by jihadists in the northwest were effectively disenfranchised. Millions of Syrian refugees seeking shelter abroad were also unable to participate in the election.
The Syrian conflict began when President Assad violently suppressed protests in 2011. Over 500,000 people have been killed in this conflict, millions of Syrians have been displaced, and the country's infrastructure and industry have been severely damaged.
The Syrian Supreme Electoral Council head, Jihad Murad, mentioned that the Baath Party, governing Syria since President Bashar al-Assad's tenure in 1963, considerably increased its parliamentary representation, securing 169 seats in this year's election. Despite the opposition living in exile denouncing the election as illegitimate, the Baath Party was able to expand its parliamentary seats compared to the previous election.
