Syrians yesterday voted to elect a new parliament as the Damascus government grapples with international sanctions and a crumbling economy after retaking large parts of the war-torn country.
More than 7,400 polling stations opened across government-held parts of Syria, including for the first time in former opposition strongholds, in the third such polls since the country’s civil war started nine years ago.
Several lists were allowed to run across the country, but without any real opposition, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s Baath Party and its allies were expected to take most of parliament’s 250 seats.
Photo: AFP
The president and his wife, Asma, cast their votes in the capital, the presidency said, posting photographs of the smartly dressed couple wearing white masks as part of measures to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Volunteers stood outside polling stations carrying the programs and pictures of their favorite candidates, and tried to woo passersby to come in and vote.
Among the first to cast his ballot in Damascus was 50-year-old government employee Khaled al-Shaleh.
“My demands today are for the parliament to realize what laws need changing in the interest of the citizen,” he said. “Our demands before, during and after the war have always been to do with the economy.”
Hanan Sukriye, 29, said she was voting for the first time in her life.
“If we all come together to choose worthy candidates, there will be an impact,” the Syrian Ministry of Finance employee said.
The elections were twice postponed from April due to the pandemic, which has officially infected 496 people and killed 25 in government-held areas.
Polling station staff wearing masks took the temperature of people coming though the door and made sure they sanitized their hands.
“The polls are happening this year in exceptional health circumstances, so we’ve taken suitable measures,” said Riyad Teriyaqi, as he checked that voters in line were observing suitable distancing.
Portraits of the contenders have been displayed across the capital for weeks, with the 1,658 candidates including several prominent businessmen.
Many candidates are running on programs pledging to tackle sharp inflation and improve infrastructure ravaged by the conflict.
“Lawmakers are going to have to make exceptional efforts to improve services,” said Umaya, a 31-year-old woman who works in a dentist’s practice.
Polls were to close at 7:30pm, but extended voting was possible.
EXPLOSION
On the eve of the election, one person was killed and another wounded in a blast in Damascus, state news agency SANA said.
The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.
Millions of Syrians living abroad, after fleeing a war that has killed more than 380,000 people, were not eligible to vote.
However, for the first time, voting took place in territory retaken by the government, including in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus and in the south of Idlib Province in the country’s northwest.
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