“High Committee” Prepares for People’s Assembly Elections in al-Hasakah

Syria’s Higher Committee for People’s Assembly elections has resumed its work in al-Hasakah (northeastern Syria), after the voting process in the province was previously postponed. The committee said the move comes as part of completing the national track for holding parliamentary elections across the country.

The committee met on Saturday, April 18, under its chairman, Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, at the governorate building with al-Hasakah Governor Nour al-Din Ahmad, Political Affairs Director Abbas Hussein, and presidential envoy Brig. Gen. Ziad al-Ayesh and members of the presidential team.

Resuming the electoral process

Mohammad Khidr Wali, a member of the Higher Committee for People’s Assembly elections, said the committee had arrived in al-Hasakah “to resume the electoral process after a previous decision to postpone it,” adding that “the environment has become suitable for holding parliamentary elections in the province.”

Wali added that the committee held meetings with the governor of al- Hasakah and provincial officials, along with the presidential team, in preparation for launching the electoral process. He said the province would be represented through three electoral districts, with work underway to form subcommittees and electoral bodies that “represent the local community.”

Logistical and administrative preparations

For his part, the Higher Committee’s spokesperson, Nawar Najma, said the meeting was “positive,” and that they agreed to begin preparations for proposing the names of members of the province’s subcommittees.

Najma said those committees would in turn propose members of the electoral bodies, adding that executive procedures were expected to begin “immediately,” and that the elections would be held in the coming weeks.

He said the success of the electoral process in al-Hasakah would “carry a message about the success of integration in the province, and the transition to a new phase in relations among Syrians.”

Criteria for forming the electoral bodies

Ahmed al-Hilali, spokesperson for the presidential delegation overseeing implementation of the January agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said the committee began work immediately upon arriving in al-Hasakah by holding a meeting with the governor in preparation for launching the executive phase of the electoral process.

Al-Hilali said the committee would work in the coming days to form subcommittees in the electoral areas. Those committees would supervise the formation of the electoral bodies according to criteria that “take into account the particular character of al-Hasakah province and its diversity, and ensure real representation of its components.”

He added that the committee adopted specific criteria for forming the electoral body, allocating 70% of its members to people with academic qualifications and 30% to notables and representatives of social groups, with 50 representatives in the electoral body for each electoral seat.

He also said members of the electoral bodies would be chosen through consensus-based subcommittees founded on “the principles of consensus, neutrality, and integrity,” as he described them.

Number of seats and selection mechanism

According to al-Hilali, 10 members from al-Hasakah province will be elected through the electoral bodies, in addition to the one-third share appointed by presidential decision, in line with the rest of Syria’s provinces.

He said the adopted election law is based on “integrity and closeness to citizens,” in a way that ensures the next People’s Assembly will “express the will of the people and their needs.”

He also said the presidential team would hold a series of meetings with the Higher Committee, the al-Hasakah governor, and local groups to remove obstacles and coordinate efforts, without interfering in the course of the electoral process or its results.

Legal context

The Higher Committee for People’s Assembly elections previously issued the executive instructions for the temporary election law under Decision No. 28 of 2025, issued on September 3, 2025. The decision set out mechanisms for distributing electoral districts, forming committees and electoral bodies, and procedures for candidacy and voting.

The decision is based on Presidential Decree No. 143 of 2025, issued by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, concerning the temporary electoral system for the People’s Assembly.

The decree states that the People’s Assembly consists of 210 members. Two-thirds are chosen through the electoral process, while the president appoints the remaining third.

It also sets the conditions for candidacy, the mechanisms for forming electoral bodies and supervisory committees, and the distribution of seats across electoral districts according to administrative divisions and the approved population representation.

A step within a broader political context

The resumption of the electoral process in al-Hasakah comes within a broader political context tied to local administration arrangements and ongoing understandings in northeastern Syria, especially with reference to the role of the presidential team overseeing implementation of agreements with the SDF.

al-Hasakah is considered a province with a distinct demographic and administrative character, making the elections there a closely watched issue, amid official talk of ensuring representation for the province’s different local communities within the electoral bodies and the next People’s Assembly.

While the committee has not announced a specific election date, official statements indicate that the process could begin within weeks if the necessary logistical and administrative preparations are completed.

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