• Syria conducts its first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024.
• Voting was extended in major cities, allowing greater public participation.
• Concerns arose regarding the low representation of women and minority groups in the new assembly.
• The electoral system involved indirect voting via regional electoral colleges.
• Final results announced revealed only 4% of representatives were women, igniting fears over inclusivity.

Syria held its first parliamentary elections on Sunday since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. The elections saw voting extended in significant urban centers like Damascus, allowing more citizens to participate in what a government spokesperson called their "first real experience in choosing representatives for the People's Assembly" according to aa.

Vote counting began shortly after polls closed, with a total of 1,578 candidates contesting for the 210 available seats in the assembly. Of these, two-thirds would be elected through regional electoral colleges with the balance appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, as reported by indiatimes and africanews.

The official results revealed significant concerns regarding representation, as only 4% of elected members were women, and only two seats were won by Christians, raising alarms about inclusivity within the new assembly, according to aljazeera, aa, and trtglobal.

The electoral process was conducted under an indirect voting system, and despite claims of fairness and transparency, critics argue that the potential for unconnected figures to dominate remains high, consolidating power rather than facilitating genuine democratic change according to africanews and indiatimes.