Syria starts afresh with a new parliament
- The end of one era, the beginning of another... a different one?
- Historical justice or political purge?
- A technical electoral body... but under surveillance
- The symbolic weight of the moment and the unknowns of the future
- Rebuilding without repeating
Syria is reinventing itself politically, but not without questions. After more than 60 years under the rule of the Baath Party and the Assad family, the country, led by Ahmed Al-Shaara, has decided to write a new political chapter in its recent history.
With the signing of Decree No. 143, which establishes a provisional electoral system to form a People's Assembly, breaking with the authoritarian past and imposing a system that better represents the Syrian people.
The end of one era, the beginning of another... a different one?
The fall of the Assad regime is a symbol of the change that Syria is willing to make. Al Shaara's main objective is to dismantle the patronage network into which the Syrian Deep State had turned the institutions, forged through repression.
In this context, the entry into force of the new Decree No. 143 is presented as the first step towards a new Syria. However, revoking the entire system as such is no simple task. This new decree will allow two-thirds of the chamber to be elected, but the remaining third will continue to be appointed by the president, so it will be up to Al Shaara's good faith to ensure that the change the Syrians have called for is truly implemented.
To do so, Ahmed Al Shaara will have to overcome internal and external pressures and attempts at destabilisation, as Syria is a key country in the region and there are numerous military organisations, mercenary militias and states that want Syria to be a malleable country.
Historical justice or political purge?
Sixty years of repression is a long time, and thousands of people have suffered the consequences, so now... will there be an amnesty or a political purge? One of the aspects that has most caught the attention of experts who have studied Decree No. 143 is the emphasis it places on who will and who will not be able to participate in the new People's Assembly.
According to the text, anyone associated with the previous regime, anyone who has been a candidate since 2011 (unless they can prove their defection), anyone who has supported terrorist organisations and anyone who promotes secession or seeks foreign support is excluded. On this point, it is crucial to know which organisations – of any kind – the current regime will consider blacklisted, and what criteria will be used to prove defection.
At first glance, the measure seems reasonable and likely to serve the purpose of preventing the old power structures from being recycled in new forms. However, there are still loose ends to be reviewed, as important questions remain, such as the definition of support for the previous regime; how to distinguish between legitimate self-determination and separatism; and what international support counts as treason.
These questions must be answered, otherwise this could be a new form of covert repression which, instead of promoting reconciliation, could crystallise new divisions, leading to an uprising by the Syrian people, supported by external agents who do not want Ahmed Al-Shaara to govern Syria.
A technical electoral body... but under surveillance
Although it may seem that the political class is best prepared, this is not always the case. This is reason enough for the decree to also define in detail the composition of the electoral bodies and committees, and to establish a distinction between ‘competent’ individuals, with university education, and ‘notable’ individuals, influential people with at least a high school education.
Seventy per cent of the committees must be composed of the former and 30 per cent of the latter. In addition, a minimum quota of 20 per cent women is set, and the representation of displaced persons, both internal and external, is guaranteed.
These measures are formal advances that seek to introduce professionalism into politics and a certain social balance. We cannot ignore the fact that electoral participation is conditional, as only people registered in authorised electoral colleges can stand for election, excluding those who hold any public office except academics and teachers.
The symbolic weight of the moment and the unknowns of the future
The symbolic value of this process must be recognised. Syria is not changing, it is being reconstituted. For more than 15 years, Syria has been a country devastated by war, where millions of people have had to decide from one day to the next between leaving everything behind or dying because of conflicts, dictatorship or foreign interventions that sought to establish peace through killing. Simply reorganising under an electoral system is a sign of hope.
The Syrian people want to move away from the past, but without forgetting it. Millions of families scarred by war finally have reason to believe that their children will be able to live in a country that seems to be back on track.
The country needs legitimate institutions, participatory processes and a renewed political class. But it also needs memory, justice and openness. It is not just a question of erasing Baathism and its structures, but of ensuring that another version with a different face does not emerge.
However, with new elections just a few weeks away, Syrian citizens are asking themselves many questions. Will the elections be fair? Will there be guarantees that the results will not be manipulated? Will everyone be allowed to participate equally without discrimination?
The inclusion of critical sectors, provided they do not promote violence or the fragmentation of the state, should be a minimum condition for a legitimate parliament. In theory, the new electoral system aims to ensure fairer and more diverse representation. But in practice, it is riddled with ideological, historical and bureaucratic filters.
The entry into force of the new decree seems to have all the answers, but if the intention of those at the top is to continue controlling the people, change will not happen, and demonstrations will very likely arise, leading to conflicts that will cause the Syrian people to suffer once again.
Rebuilding without repeating
For now, it is only a decree regulating the new parliament, but it has symbolic and historical value, as it marks the end of the darkest period in the history of one of the most important countries in history and the beginning of a new era.
Although progress is slow, Syrian society is managing to establish itself under new gender quotas, greater territorial representation and the modernisation of the electoral process... but always with the doubt as to whether power will be covertly shielded.
Democracy can be forged through decrees, but it can only be achieved through participation, inclusion and knowledge. Above all, however, it requires firmness and a clear understanding of the consequences of failing to stand up to the regime, however uncomfortable that may be.
The first step has already been taken. The new electoral system is only the beginning of a transition that will not be easy, but it has the support of the Syrian people, so Al-Shaara has everything it needs to restore peace and security within its borders.