The public was not allowed to vote. Women and minorities fared poorly.
But Syria’s first elections since the Assad dictatorship was ousted 10 months ago still generated excitement in the country, where some saw it as another step toward shaking off decades of authoritarian rule.
In voting that began Sunday, local councils are choosing 140 of 210 Parliament members with another 70 to be appointed by President Ahmed al-Shara in the next two weeks. Not surprisingly, results announced on Monday heavily favored men from the country’s Sunni Muslim majority who had fought in the yearslong revolution against President Bashar al-Assad.
Women and members of Syria’s diverse religious and ethnic minorities won few seats.
That did not dampen the enthusiasm of some Syrians, who welcomed the rise of revolutionaries and the fall of the old regime after a brutal civil war that lasted nearly 14 years.
“There is no way they are going to choose someone who was not standing on the front line,” said Mona Abu Athan, a female candidate from the capital, Damascus.
Electoral officials released partial results on Monday for 119 of the 140 seats in the People’s Assembly slated to be chosen by the local councils. Another 21 seats were left open for parts of Syria excluded from the initial voting because they are not yet under government control.
Dr. Nawar Najma, spokesman for the electoral committee, said at a news conference announcing the results that officials hope to hold voting in those areas when possible.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.
Thank you for your patience while we verify access.
Already a subscriber? Log in.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The post Syria Chooses a Parliament of Revolutionaries appeared first on New York Times.
