Syrian voters at a polling station in Aleppo (North), on the occasion of the legislative elections held in areas controlled by the Assad regime, July 15, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
They are not limited to the regime. In a fragmented country, other ruling forces are also using the elections to consolidate their contested legitimacy. This practice is well mastered by the government, which has maintained a semblance of an electoral process for decades despite a total lack of transparency. For the fourth time since the outbreak of the popular 2011 uprising in Damascus, which was bloodily suppressed by the authorities, voters went to the polls on Monday to elect their MPs. Read also Two dead in bus crash as the Lebanese Army was chasing Syrians crossing the border illegally The Assad regime, whose survival has been dependent on its Russian and Iranian sponsors, is experiencing growing political, social and economic discontent, including among its supporters, and is seeking to regain credibility. “Internally, it is...
They are not limited to the regime. In a fragmented country, other ruling forces are also using the elections to consolidate their contested legitimacy. This practice is well mastered by the government, which has maintained a semblance of an electoral process for decades despite a total lack of transparency. For the fourth time since the outbreak of the popular 2011 uprising in Damascus, which was bloodily suppressed by the authorities, voters went to the polls on Monday to elect their MPs. Read also Two dead in bus crash as the Lebanese Army was chasing Syrians crossing the border illegally The Assad regime, whose survival has been dependent on its Russian and Iranian sponsors, is experiencing growing political, social and economic discontent, including among its supporters, and is seeking to regain credibility. “Internally, it...