Ahmad al-Sharaa. (Credit: AFP)
More than a century ago, King Faisal I al-Hashemi staged indirect elections in the short-lived Syrian Arab Kingdom. The aim was to consolidate his rule and establish legitimacy in the eyes of foreign powers. The resulting congress, however, achieved quite the opposite. It resisted Faisal’s agenda from within, while skepticism of his government from abroad deepened. Within a year, France invaded Damascus and control of Syria fell under the French Mandate.This week, Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa will attempt a similar maneuver. In the coming days, subcommittees in Syria’s 14 regions — appointed by a supreme body of Sharaa’s choosing – will assemble electoral colleges made up of civil society to select MPs for the new congress. A wider view Post-Assad Syria, hatred as legacy Like Faisal’s elections, Sharaa’s may do little...
More than a century ago, King Faisal I al-Hashemi staged indirect elections in the short-lived Syrian Arab Kingdom. The aim was to consolidate his rule and establish legitimacy in the eyes of foreign powers. The resulting congress, however, achieved quite the opposite. It resisted Faisal’s agenda from within, while skepticism of his government from abroad deepened. Within a year, France invaded Damascus and control of Syria fell under the French Mandate.This week, Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa will attempt a similar maneuver. In the coming days, subcommittees in Syria’s 14 regions — appointed by a supreme body of Sharaa’s choosing – will assemble electoral colleges made up of civil society to select MPs for the new congress. A wider view Post-Assad Syria, hatred as legacy Like Faisal’s elections, Sharaa’s...
