Elections in Syria

During the French Mandate and after independence, the parliamentary elections in Syria have been held under a system similar to the Lebanese one, with fixed representation for every religious community, including Druze, Alawites and Christians. In 1949 the system was modified, giving women the right to vote.{{Cite book |last=Shora |first=Nawar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NBrrAM10x74C&dq |title=The Arab-American Handbook: A Guide to the Arab, Arab-American & Muslim Worlds |date=2009 |publisher=Cune Press |isbn=978-1-885942-47-0 |language=en}}Albert H. Hourani, Minorities in the Arab World, London, Oxford University Press, 1947 {{ISBN|0-404-16402-1}}Claude Palazzoli, La Syrie - Le rêve et la rupture, Paris, Le Sycomore, 1977 {{ISBN|2-86262-002-5}}Nikolaos van Dam, The Struggle For Power in Syria: Politics and Society Under Asad and the Ba'th Party, London, Croom Helm, 1979 {{ISBN|1-86064-024-9}}

During Ba'athist Syria, the government, led mainly by Hafez al-Assad and later his son Bashar al-Assad, routinely conducted elections to the presidency and legislature. However, independent observers unanimously regarded this to be a sham process. According to Electoral Integrity Project's 2022 Global report, elections in Ba'athist Syria were considered a "facade", and the country has one of the worst electoral integrity in the world alongside Comoros and Central African Republic.{{Cite web |date=May 2022 |title=Electoral Integrity Global Report 2019-2021 |url=https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/globalreport2019-2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209095338/https://www.electoralintegrityproject.com/globalreport2019-2021 |archive-date=9 December 2022 |website=Electoral Integrity Project}}{{Cite web |last=Garnett, S. James, MacGregor |first=Holly Ann, Toby, Madison . |date=May 2022 |title=2022. Year in Elections Global Report: 2019-2021. The Electoral Integrity Project. |url=https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58533f31bebafbe99c85dc9b/t/62bb1188ea129d15fd58abac/1656426896778/Electoral+Integrity+Global+Report+2019-2021+0.1.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722201335/https://static1.squarespace.com/static/58533f31bebafbe99c85dc9b/t/62bb1188ea129d15fd58abac/1656426896778/Electoral+Integrity+Global+Report+2019-2021+0.1.pdf |archive-date=22 July 2022 |website=Electoral Integrity Project |publisher=University of East Anglia}}

The Syrian opposition boycotted elections that the Ba'athist government conducted during the Syrian civil war.{{efn|Sources:{{cite news|date=28 May 2007|title=Syrians Vote For Assad in Uncontested Referendum|newspaper=The Washington Post|agency=Associated Press|location=Damascus|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/27/AR2007052701117.html|access-date=13 March 2015}}{{Cite news|last=Yacoub Oweis|first=Khaleb|date=2007-05-17|title=Syria's opposition boycotts vote on Assad|work=Reuters|location=Damascus|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-vote-opposition-idUSOWE75174320070517|access-date=2021-10-11}}Klatell, James (27 May 2007). [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrians-vote-in-presidential-referendum/ "Syrians Vote in Presidential Referendum"]. CBS News.Chulov, Martin (14 April 2014). [https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/apr/13/certainty-syria-election-assad-will-win "The one certainty about Syria's looming election – Assad will win"] The Guardian.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6700021.stm |work=BBC News |title=Syria's Assad wins another term |date=29 May 2007 |access-date=13 March 2015}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/may/28/syria.ianblack |title=Democracy Damascus style: Assad the only choice in referendum |work=The Guardian |date=28 May 2007}}}}{{efn|Sources:{{Cite book|last=Cheeseman|first=Nicholas|title=How to Rig an Election|date=2019|publisher=Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-24665-0|pages=140–141|oclc=1089560229}}{{Cite journal|last1=Norris|first1=Pippa|last2=Martinez i Coma|first2=Ferran|last3=Grömping|first3=Max|date=2015|title=The Year in Elections, 2014|url=https://sites.google.com/site/electoralintegrityproject4/projects/expert-survey-2/the-year-in-elections-2015|journal=Election Integrity Project|language=en|quote=The Syrian election ranked as worst among all the contests held during 2014.|access-date=21 May 2020|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415091339/https://sites.google.com/site/electoralintegrityproject4/projects/expert-survey-2/the-year-in-elections-2015|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Presidential and Legislative Elections|url=https://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190258658.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780190258658-e-23|last=Jones|first=Mark P.|editor3-first=Matthew S|editor3-last=Shugart|editor2-first=Robert J|editor2-last=Pekkanen|editor1-first=Erik S|editor1-last=Herron|date=2018|website=The Oxford Handbook of Electoral Systems|language=en|doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190258658.001.0001|isbn=9780190258658|access-date=21 May 2020|quote="unanimous agreement among serious scholars that... al-Assad's 2014 election... occurred within an authoritarian context."}}{{cite news|last=Makdisi|first=Marwan|title=Confident Assad launches new term in stronger position|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-assad-idUSKBN0FL0NN20140717|work=Reuters|date=16 July 2014|access-date=15 May 2020}}{{cite news |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-assad-idUSBREA3R0LH20140428?irpc=932 |title=Assad seeks re-election as Syrian civil war rages |work=Reuters |first1=Dominic |last1=Evans |date=28 April 2014 |access-date=13 March 2015}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-27419552 |title=UK's William Hague attacks Assad's Syria elections plan |work=BBC News |date=15 May 2014 |access-date=13 March 2015}}}}

According to the Syrian constitution of 1973, Syria was a form of one-party state where only the Syrian Ba'ath Party was legally allowed to hold effective power. The presidential candidate was appointed by the parliament, on suggestion of the Baath Party, and needed to be confirmed for a seven-year term in a national single-candidate referendum.

Elections are officially designated as the event of "renewing the pledge of allegiance" to the Assad family and the state enforces voting as a compulsory duty on every citizen. Announcement of the results are followed by Ba'athist rallies conducted across the country extolling the regime, wherein supporters declare their "devotion" to the President and celebrate "the virtues" of Assad dynasty.{{Cite news |last=Klatell |first=James |date=27 May 2007 |title=Syrians Vote in Presidential Referendum |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrians-vote-in-presidential-referendum/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406134454/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/syrians-vote-in-presidential-referendum/ |archive-date=6 April 2017}}{{cite news |last=Black |first=Ian |date=28 May 2007 |title=Democracy Damascus style: Assad the only choice in referendum |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/may/28/syria.ianblack |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406134014/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/may/28/syria.ianblack |archive-date=6 April 2017}}{{Cite news |last=Chulov |first=Martin |date=13 April 2014 |title=The one certainty about Syria's looming election – Assad will win |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/apr/13/certainty-syria-election-assad-will-win |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170621100122/https://www.theguardian.com/world/shortcuts/2014/apr/13/certainty-syria-election-assad-will-win |archive-date=21 June 2017}} Although minor parties were allowed, they were legally required to accept the leadership of the dominant party.

A series of presidential elections organized by the cadres of the Ba'ath Party has been held every seven years since Bashar al-Assad's ascension to Presidency in 2000, which he regularly wins with overwhelming majority of votes.

In August 2011, President Assad signed Decree No. 101 on amending the General Elections Law. The Law stipulates that elections are to be held with public, secret, direct and equal voting where each Syrian voter, eighteen years and older, has one vote. The Law does not allow army members and policemen in service to participate in elections. It also provides for forming a higher judicial committee for elections, with its headquarters in Damascus to monitor the elections and ensure its integrity, in addition to forming judicial sub-committees in every Syrian province affiliated with the higher committee.President al-Assad Issues Legislative Decree on General Elections Law, SANA news agency

Soon after the outbreak of the Syrian civil war, the Syrian government approved the 2012 Syrian constitution after a constitutional referendum. Article 88 introduced presidential electoral limits to a maximum of one re-election. Also, the constitution no longer specified the Ba'ath party as a vanguard, and instead allowed for a multi-party system.{{Cite web |url=http://sana.sy/eng/370/2012/02/28/401178.htm |title=SANA Syrian News Agency - Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic Approved in Popular Referendum on February 27, 2012, Article 8 |access-date=October 13, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014034300/http://sana.sy/eng/370/2012/02/28/401178.htm |archive-date=October 14, 2012 |url-status=dead }} Nonetheless, Ba'ath party remains the sole arbitrer in publicizing electoral lists for candidacy.{{Cite journal |last=Awad, Favier |first=Ziad, Agnès |date=30 April 2020 |title=Elections in Wartime: The Syrian People’s Council (2016-2020) |url=https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/66949/RPR_2020_07.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |journal=Middle East Directions |publisher=European University Institute |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129205045/https://cadmus.eui.eu/bitstream/handle/1814/66949/RPR_2020_07.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |archive-date=29 January 2021 |via=cadmus.eui.eu}}

By theoretically permitting non-Ba'athist activities, the government was able to mobilize recruits and militias from anti-opposition political parties at a time when regime's prospects for survival looked bleak in the Syrian civil war.

Once Assad regime gained military edge in its favour, the state relinquished the accommodations and effectively restored the one-party state. In March 2015, President Assad signed General Elections Law No.5, which replaced previous election laws.{{cite web|last1=Georges|first1=Nael|title=Election Law in Syria|url=http://legal-agenda.com/en/article.php?id=2999|publisher=The Legal Agenda|access-date=25 November 2016}} The government then pursued an intense Baathification campaign with ideological vigor, such as packing the legislature with Ba'athist army officers and commanders of Ba'ath Brigades since the 2016 parliamentary elections. The government also disbanded non-Ba'athist militias and sidelined satellite parties of the National Progressive Front by increasing Ba'athist representation in the legislature.{{Cite web |last=Abdul-Jalil, Moghrabi |first=Murad, Yamen |date=3 July 2020 |title=Al-Assad attempts to boost "Ba'ath" vigor to tighten control |url=https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2020/07/al-assad-attempts-to-boost-baath-vigor-to-tighten-control/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706222249/https://english.enabbaladi.net/archives/2020/07/al-assad-attempts-to-boost-baath-vigor-to-tighten-control/ |archive-date=6 July 2020 |website=Enab Baladi}}{{Cite web |last=Shaar, Akil |first=Karam, Samy |date=28 January 2021 |title=Inside Syria's Clapping Chamber: Dynamics of the 2020 Parliamentary Elections |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/inside-syrias-clapping-chamber-dynamics-2020-parliamentary-elections#footnote-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128162146/https://www.mei.edu/publications/inside-syrias-clapping-chamber-dynamics-2020-parliamentary-elections |archive-date=28 January 2021 |website=Middle East Institute}}{{Cite news |last=Lucas |first=Scott |date=25 February 2021 |title=How Assad Regime Tightened Syria’s One-Party Rule |url=https://eaworldview.com/2021/02/how-assad-regime-tightened-syrias-one-party-rule/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225110507/https://eaworldview.com/2021/02/how-assad-regime-tightened-syrias-one-party-rule/ |archive-date=25 February 2021 |work=EA Worldview}}

As such, the United Nations continued to condemn Syrian elections, including its presidential elections in 2014 and 2021.{{cite news |date=28 May 2014 |title=Syrians in Lebanon battle crowds to vote for Bashar al-Assad |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/28/syrians-lebaanon-vote-assad-embassies-refugees-boycott |access-date=9 November 2017 |website=The Guardian}}{{cite news |date=16 July 2014 |title=Bashar al-Assad sworn in for a third term as Syrian president |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10970476/Bashar-al-Assad-sworn-in-for-a-third-term-as-Syrian-president.html |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10970476/Bashar-al-Assad-sworn-in-for-a-third-term-as-Syrian-president.html |archive-date=11 January 2022 |access-date=17 December 2016 |website=The Daily Telegraph}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite news |last=Kossaify |first=Ephrem |date=22 April 2021 |title=UN reiterates it is not involved in Syrian presidential election |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846771/%7B%7B |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422181511/https://www.arabnews.com/node/1846771/middle-east |archive-date=22 April 2021 |work=Arab News}} These elections were only held in government-controlled territories due to the ongoing Syrian civil war. Overall, elections continue to be sham process, characterized by wide-scale rigging, repetitive voting and absence of voter registration and verification systems.{{Cite web |last=Abdel Nour |first=Aymen |date=24 July 2020 |title=Syria’s 2020 parliamentary elections: The worst joke yet |url=https://www.mei.edu/publications/syrias-2020-parliamentary-elections-worst-joke-yet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128170936/https://www.mei.edu/publications/syrias-2020-parliamentary-elections-worst-joke-yet |archive-date=28 January 2021 |website=Middle East Institute}}

In December 2024, the Syrian opposition successfully captured Damascus and led to the fall of the Assad regime.{{Cite web |title=Bashar al-Assad: Sudden downfall ends decades of family's iron rule |publisher=BBC News |date=December 9, 2024 |access-date=2025-01-18 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/10338256}} Afterwards, the opposition announced the creation of the Syrian transitional government to stabilize the war-torn nation and provide basic services to the public.{{Cite web |title=What to know about Syria's new caretaker government |publisher=Al Jazeera |date=December 15, 2024 |access-date=2025-01-18 |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/12/15/what-to-know-about-syrias-new-caretaker-government}}

Since the transition began, there have been concerns over its future governance direction. The main organization in the government, HTS has Islamist origins, and there are fears that they may try to delay elections.{{Cite news |date=29 December 2024|title=Syria's de facto leader says holding elections could take up to four years|newspaper=The Telegraph|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2024/12/29/syrias-de-facto-leader-says-holding-elections-could-take-up/ |access-date=30 December 2024}} Due to the need to first draft and approve a new constitution,{{Cite web |title=Syria's Rebel Leader Offers Hint of Timetable for Potential Elections |work=The New York Times |date=December 30, 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/30/world/middleeast/syria-rebel-leader-elections.html}} there is not yet any official announcements of candidacy.

There are varying statements from Syrian officials over the expected timing of future elections. Hadi al-Bahra, president of the Syrian National Coalition, said that an 18-month transitional period was needed to establish "a safe, neutral, and quiet environment" for free elections, as outlined in the UNSC Resolution 2254.{{Cite web |title=Syrian opposition leader calls for 18 month transition period before elections |publisher=Reuters |date=December 8, 2024 |access-date=2025-01-18 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/syrian-opposition-leader-calls-18-month-transition-period-before-elections-2024-12-08/}} However, President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa also stated that elections would need at least 4 years to take place.{{Cite web |last1=Ebrahim |first1=Nadeen|last2=Salem|first2=Mostafa|date=30 December 2024 |title=Syrian elections could take up to 4 years to organize, de facto leader says |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2024/12/30/middleeast/syria-elections-four-years-intl/index.html |access-date=3 January 2025 |website=CNN |language=en}}

During a meeting between the French and German foreign ministers and al-Sharaa, the ministers, Barrot and Baerbock, specifically cautioned the new Syrian government against unnecessarily delaying elections.{{Cite web |title=French, German foreign ministers meet Syria's de facto rulers |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/1/3/french-german-foreign-ministers-visit-damascus-to-meet-syrias-new-rulers |access-date=3 January 2025 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}

{{Main|2021 Syrian presidential election}}

{{Election results

|cand1=Bashar al-Assad|party1=Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region|Ba'ath Party|votes1=13540860

|cand2=Mahmoud Ahmad Marei|party2=Democratic Arab Socialist Union|votes2=470276|color2=black

|cand3=Abdullah Sallum Abdullah|party3=Socialist Unionist Party (Syria)|Socialist Unionist Party|votes3=213968

}}

In 2021, Ba'athist Syria conducted its last presidential election. Bashar al-Assad comfortably won with 95% of the vote, though Western countries generally considered it "illegitimate" and "not free or fair".{{Cite web |date=May 27, 2021 |title=Assad wins Syrian election dismissed as farce by critics |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57277336 |access-date=2025-01-18 |publisher=BBC News}}

{{Main|2024 Syrian parliamentary election}}

{{Election results

|image=File:People's Assembly of Syria 2024.svg

|alliance1=National Progressive Front (Syria)|National Progressive Front|aspan1=9|party1=Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region|Ba'ath Party|seats1=169

|party2=Syrian Social Nationalist Party|seats2=3

|party3=Arab Socialist Union Party (Syria)|Arab Socialist Union Party|seats3=2

|party4=Syrian Communist Party (Bakdash)|seats4=2

|party5=National Covenant Party|seats5=2

|party6=Socialist Unionist Party (Syria)|Socialist Unionist Party|seats6=2

|party7=Arab Democratic Union Party|seats7=2

|party8=Syrian Communist Party (Unified)|seats8=2

|party9=Democratic Socialist Unionist Party|seats9=1

|alliance10=Independents|seats10=65

}}

{{Main|2022 Syrian local elections}}

Positions in all 14 governorates, 158 cities, 572 towns and 726 municipalities were up for election.

{{notelist}}

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.electionguide.org/country-news.php?ID=208 IFES Election guide - Country profile: Syria]

{{Syrian elections}}

{{Syria topics}}

{{Asia topic|Elections in}}