Syrian election committee dismisses AANES criticism of vote

By Saad al-Yaziji

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – The head of the legal committee of Syria’s parliamentary elections, Ahmad Qanout, said on Sunday that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) has no authority to determine the legitimacy of the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for next month.

Qanout’s remarks came in response to a statement issued earlier the same day by the AANES, which urged the international community and the United Nations not to recognize the elections. The AANES said the process does not reflect the will of Syrians and contradicts the framework for a political solution set out under UN Security Council Resolution 2254.

Mahmoud al-Meslet, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), also commented on the issue on Sunday, stating that the upcoming elections are a national entitlement, but must be inclusive: “They should represent all Syrians without exception.”

Qanout, speaking to Syria TV, described the AANES statement as an attempt to “disturb” the election process. He added that the elections will be held on schedule, and that the timeline for holding polls in the provinces of Hasakah, Raqqa, and Suwayda lies within the jurisdiction of the Higher Committee for Elections.

He noted that voting in the three governorates-currently excluded from the official plan—will be conducted once what he called the “preventive reasons” are removed.

The Syrian transitional government has maintained that the elections will proceed as planned in most provinces under its control, while the AANES has consistently criticized the process as non-inclusive and unrepresentative of political and social realities in Syria’s northeast.