DAMASCUS: Predominantly Kurdish areas of northeastern Syria held a ballot on Sunday to choose representatives for the country’s transitional parliament, following an agreement this year on integration under central authorities.
In a process that began last year and has been criticized as undemocratic, members of local committees across Syria have been casting ballots to elect members of the assembly, which will have a renewable 30-month mandate.
Syria’s President Ahmad Al-Sharaa is to appoint 70 representatives to the 210-member body.
In October last year, Syria’s electoral commission announced the names of 119 members of the new assembly, out of the 140 members to be chosen through the ballot process.
Local committees — appointed by the electoral commission, which was itself also appointed by Al-Sharaa — have been selecting the other two-thirds.
