DAMASCUS — The results of Syria’s parliamentary elections, announced on Thursday, showed that President Bashar Assad’s Baath Party won the majority of seats, as expected.
Elections for 250 parliamentary seats were held on Monday in 8,151 centers in government-controlled areas of the country, but voting was repeated in several districts, including Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Daraa, after election officials said there were there were irregularities. including voters who vote twice.
The heads of some electoral centers were referred to the judiciary for alleged electoral violations.
In total, 1,516 candidates were competing for the 250 seats. However, only 65 of those seats were actually considered eligible to compete, as the Baath Party and allied parties submitted a list of 185 candidates. Normally, all candidates who make it through the Baath Party primaries and appear on the final list win seats.
Results announced Thursday showed that all 185 candidates from the Baath Party and its allies won seats as expected, an increase from the 177 seats won by the coalition in 2020.
Turnout was 38% of the 19.3 million eligible voters, election officials said.
Unlike presidential elections, Syrians in the diaspora cannot vote in parliamentary elections.
The head of the Supreme Judicial Committee for Elections, Jihad Murad, who announced the results, said they “reflect the broader representation of the Syrian people in their various groups and sectors.”
The vote is the fourth since the country’s civil war began in March 2011.
With Assad now facing term limits that would end his presidency in 2028, the next parliament is expected to try to pass a constitutional amendment to extend his rule.
An amendment requires a three-quarters majority, or 188 votes, little more than the number of seats held by the Bath Party and its allies. However, nominally independent candidates are also seen as loyal to the government.
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