.svg) |
|---|
|
Elections in Syria are conducted for thepresidency andparliament, and have been held sinceSyrian independence in 1946.[1] Beginning in 2011, the country became embroiled in theSyrian civil war, culminating in thefall of the Assad regime in December 2024. Since then, the country has been led by theSyrian transitional government, with president Ahmed al-Sharaa confirming elections will be held within 4-5 years.[2]
During theFrench Mandate and afterindependence, the parliamentary elections in Syria have been held under a system similar to the Lebanese one, with fixed representation for every religious community, includingDruze,Alawites andChristians. In 1949 the system was modified, giving women the right to vote.[3][4][5][6]
DuringBa'athist Syria, the government, led mainly byHafez al-Assad and later his sonBashar al-Assad, routinely conducted elections to thepresidency andlegislature. However, independent observers unanimously regarded this to be asham process. According toElectoral Integrity Project's 2022 Global report, elections in Ba'athist Syria were considered a "facade", and the country has one of the worstelectoral integrity in the world alongsideComoros andCentral African Republic.[7][8]
TheSyrian opposition boycotted elections that the Ba'athist government conducted during theSyrian civil war.[a][b]
According to theSyrian constitution of 1973, Syria was a form ofone-party state where only theSyrian 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 theAssad family and the state enforces voting as a compulsory duty on every citizen. Announcement of the results are followed byBa'athist rallies conducted across the country extolling the regime, wherein supporters declare their "devotion" to the President and celebrate "the virtues" of Assad dynasty.[21][22][23] Although minorparties 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 sinceBashar 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 inDamascus to monitor the elections and ensure its integrity, in addition to forming judicial sub-committees in every Syrian province affiliated with the higher committee.[24]
Soon after the outbreak of theSyrian civil war, the Syrian government approved the2012 Syrian constitution aftera constitutional referendum. Article 88 introduced presidential electoral limits to a maximum of one re-election.[25] Also, the constitution no longer specified the Ba'ath party as a vanguard and instead allowed for a multi-party system.[25] Nonetheless, Ba'ath party remains the sole arbiter in publicizing electoral lists for candidacy.[26]
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 theSyrian civil war.
Once theAssad regime gained military edge in its favour, the state relinquished the accommodations and effectively restored theone-party state. In March 2015, President Assad signed General Elections Law No.5, which replaced previous election laws.[27] The government then pursued an intense Baathification campaign with ideological vigor, such as packing the legislature withBa'athist army officers and commanders ofBa'ath Brigades since the2016 parliamentary elections. The government also disbanded non-Ba'athist militias and sidelined satellite parties of theNational Progressive Front by increasing Ba'athist representation in the legislature.[28][29][30]
As such, the United Nations continued to condemn Syrian elections, including its presidential elections in 2014 and 2021.[31][32][33] These elections were only held in government-controlled territories due to the ongoing Syrian civil war. Overall, elections continue to besham process, characterized by wide-scalerigging, repetitive voting and absence ofvoter registration and verification systems.[29][26][34]
In December 2024, theSyrian opposition successfullycaptured Damascus and led to thefall of the Assad regime.[35] Afterwards, the opposition announced the creation of theSyrian transitional government to stabilize the war-torn nation and provide basic services to the public.[36]
Since the transition began, there have been concerns over its future governance direction. The main organization in the government,HTS hasIslamist origins, and there are fears that they may try to delay elections.[37][38] Due to the need to first draft and approve a newconstitution,[39] 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 theSyrian 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 theUNSC Resolution 2254.[40] However, President of SyriaAhmed al-Sharaa also stated that elections would need at least 4 years to take place.[41][37]
During a meeting between the French and German foreign ministers and al-Sharaa, the ministers,Barrot andBaerbock, specifically cautioned the new Syrian government against unnecessarily delaying elections.[38]
On 5 October 2025, an indirect parliamentary election was held under a temporary electoral system established by the2025 Interim Constitution of Syria. No direct popular vote occurred, instead multiple electoral colleges, selected by committees, voted to elect parliamentarians. It was emphasised that the electoral system was temporary, and that the next election would be through a popular vote.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bashar al-Assad | Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region | 13,540,860 | 95.19 | |
| Mahmoud Ahmad Marei | Democratic Arab Socialist Union | 470,276 | 3.31 | |
| Abdullah Sallum Abdullah | Socialist Unionist Party (Syria) | 213,968 | 1.50 | |
| Total | 14,225,104 | 100.00 | ||
In 2021,Ba'athist Syria conducted itslast presidential election.Bashar al-Assad comfortably won with 95% of the vote, though Western countries generally considered it "illegitimate" and "not free or fair".[42]
 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Seats | |
| Independents | 119 | |
| Pending | 72 | |
| Vacant | 19 | |
| Total | 210 | |
Positions in all 14 governorates, 158 cities, 572 towns and 726 municipalities were up for election.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The Syrian election ranked as worst among all the contests held during 2014.
unanimous agreement among serious scholars that... al-Assad's 2014 election... occurred within an authoritarian context.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Parliamentary elections | |
| Local elections | |
| Referendums | |
Syria topics | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
