"The parliamentary elections must be conducted in accordance with Resolution 2254."
Dr. Badr Jamous, the President of the Syrian Negotiation Commission, stated in a press statement today that the People’s Assembly elections taking place in Syria do not represent the people at all and that Syrians are coerced into electing representatives for an assembly that is deprived of will and freedom. This assembly does not care about the voices of millions of Syrians who demand freedom, democracy, and political change, and ignores the cries and pleas of thousands of displaced persons, refugees, and numerous victims, along with hundreds of thousands of detainees and those forcibly disappeared.
He added that no change in the composition, role, performance, or effectiveness of the People’s Assembly can occur as long as the Syrian regime refuses a political solution in accordance with UN Resolution 2254, rejects constitutional changes, refuses to reform laws, does not restrain the security agencies and the presidential palace from manipulating elections, and dismisses the idea of impartial international monitoring of the elections.
Dr. Jamous asserted that the constitution, established by the regime in 2012 while its artillery bombarded Syrian cities, entrenches the power of the individual leader over the state and society. It grants him absolute powers to dissolve the People’s Assembly whenever he wishes, to assume legislative authority in its stead, to issue legislation, to change laws, and to propose constitutional changes with the approval of a simple majority of the assembly members.
He noted that more than half of the Syrian population is displaced, deported, or refugees and is unable to participate in the People’s Assembly elections. The other half, living in the country, suffers from economic, security, and social problems, living on the edge of poverty and misery. No more than 5% of Syrians can participate in the elections as a result of pressure and fear from security forces. With no judicial oversight or monitoring by local or international organizations, the regime will, as usual, falsely claim a very high participation rate.
The president of the Commission emphasized that the current elections of the People’s Assembly cannot be considered legitimate. They violate international resolutions that the regime must adhere to, are conducted under a totalitarian constitution and laws needing reform, exclude millions of Syrians abroad from participating, lack electoral programs, lack transparency and free media monitoring, and no entity is allowed to oversee and ensure the elections are free from fraud.
Dr. Jamous alerted that Resolution 2254 clearly and explicitly states that parliamentary and presidential elections must occur in the context of the political process after forming a credible, inclusive, non-sectarian transitional governing body. It outlines a timeline for drafting a new constitution, followed by free and fair elections under UN supervision that meet the highest international governance, transparency, and accountability standards, including all Syrians, even those in the diaspora.
