Syria has postponed elections in Sweden and Kurdish regions

• Voting in Sweden and other provinces has been postponed due to racism.
• The Syrian government announced the postponement as a necessary measure to ensure security.
• Voting in the region is scheduled for early 2025.

The government of Syria announced on Saturday that elections will not take place in the provinces of Sweden, Hasakah, and Raqqa, when the regions are supposed to vote for a new parliament in the fall.

The province of Sweden in the southern part of the country has a majority Druze population, while the majority of Hasakah and parts of Raqqa are controlled by Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Why is Syria postponing elections in three provinces?

The higher commission for the elections of the People's Assemblies stated that voting will be postponed in all three provinces until a "safe environment" is ensured, according to information from the state agency SANA.

Sweden has become the site of ongoing tensions between militias representing the Druze minority and Sunni militias over land and resources. In July, clashes occurred between Druze fighters and Sunni militias, which were on the side of government forces, resulting in the deaths of dozens of people. Israel has conducted airstrikes to prevent what it considers a mass slaughter of Druze by government forces.

Hasakah and Raqqa: Conflicts between Kurds and Damascus

The commission also noted that elections in partially controlled SDF provinces of Hasakah and Raqqa are also recognized as potentially unsafe for conducting voting.

The implementation of an agreement signed in Beirut regarding the integration of Kurdish institutions into the central government of Syria in Damascus is also hindered by tensions between SDF forces and the new government.

Elections – A test for the new Islamist government

Last month, the head of the National Election Commission announced that national parliamentary elections will take place from 15 to 20 September. These will be the first parliamentary elections since the Islamist government of Ahmed al-Sharaa came to power, following the uprising alliance that ousted former president Bashar al-Assad in June.

Al-Sharaa dissolved the existing parliament in January, and in February approved a temporary constitution that provides for a five-year political transition. Earlier this week, al-Sharaa signed a decree granting him the right to appoint a third of the 210-member parliament – a decision that will be made by appointed local bodies.

From the moment of his election as president, al-Sharaa has aimed to establish an international political and business community to support the reconstruction of the devastated country, which has suffered from more than a decade of civil war. Although he has changed military uniforms to civilian attire, many critics argue that the temporary constitution grants him considerable power, failing to reflect the ethnic and religious diversity of the country.

Tags: Middle East/Politics