Syria to hold first parliamentary election after over 5 decades of dictatorship- What you need to know

Syria will be holding its first parliamentary election under the new administration on October 5, after over five decades of dictatorship and a decade of brutal civil war, state news agency SANA said on Sunday.

On Saturday, the committee extended the deadline for submitting appeals against members of the electoral bodies until the close of business on Sunday, September 21.

The election process
The process will began with the Supreme Electoral Committee appointing subcommittees, which will select the electoral bodies responsible for accepting candidate applications.

From these bodies, preliminary candidate lists will be prepared. Citizens can then able to submit objections to candidates, which were reviewed before final lists were announced.

Elections will be held among the electoral body members, and ballots will cast through direct, secret voting. The subcommittees will count the votes and announce preliminary results, Sana news agency reported.

The President has appointed one-third of the 210 members of parliament from outside the electoral body. The results will be finalized with a presidential decree, and the newly elected People’s Assembly (Parliament) will hold its first session.

This crucial transition comes after more than 50 years of dictatorship under the Assad family’s iron-fisted rule.

In Syria, rebels ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December, subsequently acting as the country’s de facto authorities. Mr al-Shara was named interim President and has overseen a transitional government.