Senior AANES official says upcoming Syrian elections “far from democracy”
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – A senior official from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) said on Monday that the parliamentary elections planned by the Syrian transitional government are “far from democratic,” citing the lack of national consensus and the exclusion of millions of Syrians from participation.
“We support holding any elections that genuinely reflect democracy,” Jwan Mullah Ibrahim, Co-Chair of the AANES Media Department, told North Press. “However, what the Syrian transitional government now claims to be organizing as elections is far removed from the essence of democracy.”
He said that more than half of Syrians are excluded from the process, whether in northeast Syria, in Suwayda, or among those living in displacement camps—meaning that half of the population is left outside this electoral process.
Mullah Ibrahim added that elections should only be held once “a state of stability and consensus” has been achieved. He noted that the AANES had issued a statement affirming it is not concerned with any parliamentary body formed under the current conditions.
On Sunday, the AANES called on the international community and the United Nations not to recognize the elections being organized by the Syrian transitional government.
“The transitional government is merely continuing the same old policies,” Mullah Ibrahim warned. “This poses a serious risk, and it is the current government—not the Syrian people—that will bear responsibility for the consequences.”
He also questioned the disenfranchisement of Syrians abroad and displaced persons without official documents, asking “How will they be dealt with and enabled to cast their votes?”
According to Mullah Ibrahim, around five million people in northeast Syria are excluded from the planned elections, along with residents of southern Syria—particularly Suwayda—as well as coastal communities that continue to suffer from recent massacres and destructive policies.
By Zana al-Ali