Scheduled for Sunday parliamentary elections in Syria will be held amid tightening Western sanctions against Damascus and acute crisis in the economy. The US and the EU continue to rely, if not on the change of the Syrian leadership, then at least for the beginning of political reforms in the country. However, instead of dialogue with the opposition Syrian authorities demonstrate a commitment to the old rate for the parliamentary elections next year must be followed by a presidential one. In Damascus stress that the head of state Bashar al-Assad will remain in power as long as the Syrians themselves want.Initially elections to the people’s Council (Parliament) of Syria was planned for April, but due to the pandemic coronavirus they were postponed twice. To postpone further the authorities did not consider it necessary, especially because the official number of infected people in the country does not exceed 500 people.250 seats in the people’s Council claimed more than 1.6 thousand candidates. In the list of the bloc “National unity” included 166 representatives headed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of the Arab Baath socialist Party (“Baas”) and 17 candidates from allied organizations. This year, the “Baas” was first used “principle recommendations,” when candidates in the General list were elected by the conferences of the regional offices and then were selected by the Central party leadership. Previously the list was formed by a simple decision of the party leadership.Bashar al-Assad has called the “principle of the recommendations of the” evidence “dynamics of the party” and its willingness to change, which should “contribute to the development and deepening of the democratic experience in Syria.” Representatives of the “Baas” declare substantive update of party lists. So, of the 15 seats in Damascus ten went to young generations who have not previously elected to Parliament. In Aleppo, such candidates 10 out of 12. In addition to the party list in Syria there are even lists of trade Union associations. Although the agitation has been completed, the lists can be adjusted until the very last moment, as some candidates at the last moment refuse to participate in elections. One of the most notorious cases — the rejection of the businessman Muhammad Hamsho close to the President’s brother Maher Assad. Mr. Hamsho was a member of Parliament since 2011 and almost all of that time was under sanctions by the EU and the US.In Syria on Sunday will be open over 7 thousand sites. For four years the government increased the territories under their control, returning the suburbs of Damascus, Aleppo, southern province, some areas in the North and East of the country. And now they need to demonstrate that state institutions in these areas are restored and people are free in his will.”Any person, not close to the party “Baas”, nem chances of winning the elections. We’ve learned that the Assad family considers Syria its farm and she chooses farmers, security guards and vendors, as well as those who will eat the fruit”,— said “Kommersant” one of the commanders of the Syrian opposition Colonel Fateh Hasan, answering the question, what do you think about the election the people of the province Dara’a, one of those, returned two years ago under the control of Damascus. In recent months, the province has become home to “the Syrian uprising” in 2011, on the verge of a new explosion.Syrians outside the country, I can not vote. And it’s one of the reasons for Western countries to recognize the elections as illegitimate as the war outside the country was almost a quarter of the population. In addition, the West sees the election as a rejection of the Damascus political reforms, especially against the background of some slippage of the work of the constitutional Committee, which was launched in October last year. It was expected that the Committee will operate under the auspices of the United Nations on constitutional reform, which will hold presidential and parliamentary elections. However, the Committee stopped almost before it began: the opposition and Damascus did not agree, and because of the coronavirus question about the new appointments and does Podvis in the air. Now considering the resumption of negotiations in August. By this time in Syria will have a new Parliament.Given the previous experience of the constitutional Committee, there are fears that the compromise between the opposition and the authorities regarding the future of Syria is not found and to is scheduled for 2021 presidential elections in which, apparently, will again participate Bashar al-Assad. As stated last month, the foreign Minister of Syria Walid Muallem, President Assad will remain in power “as long as Syrians want him to stay”. It means the preservation of Western sanctions against Damascus, the lack of money to rebuild post-war economy and other problems for the Syrian authorities. The situation in the country is on the verge of collapse in June, sharply devalued the Syrian pound, while prices for necessities continue to rise. To suppress the wave of unrest, President Assad has sent in the resignation of Prime Minister Imad Khamis, who held the post from July 2016. His place was temporarily taken by the Minister of water resources Hussein Arnus. The new head of government will be appointed after the elections to the Parliament, which must formally approve the nomination.”Syria like never before essential elections. Some countries that support terrorists and direct occupation of Syria, cherished the dream of turning it into a failed state,”— said in an interview with Sputnik Arabic former member of the delegation of the Syrian government on p��regularo in Geneva Osama Danura.This position is held in Moscow, considering elections as evidence of the normal functioning of all power structures. “It is important that in order to preserve stability, to implement the scenario of neighboring States, such as Libya. We believe it is important to hold elections in accordance with the Constitution,”— said the official representative of Russian foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.The Syrian opposition with such statement of a question do not agree. “The holding of elections in conditions of international isolation under the threat of arms and pressure from the security services has no other purpose but to create the impression that everything is as usual and no need to change anything”,— said “Kommersant” member of small negotiating group of the constitutional Committee from the opposition Safwan Akkash. He stressed that elections take place in defiance of UN security Council, providing for political reforms and holding elections, which will be able to participate including representatives of the opposition.”Analysis of the parliamentary elections in time of war is crucial to understanding how the regime tried to update its social base, which declined in the first years of the conflict”,— quotes the study about the Syrian elections of the European University Institute (European University Institute) the Saudi newspaper “Ash-shark al-Ausat”. It is noted that during the 2016 election system was supposed to stimulate their most active supporters who participated in the military and advocacy, as Damascus stood the primary task — “win the battle”. The second objective was to restore the Central role of the party in state institutions. The third — expansion of social base. As a result, the Parliament increased the number of deputies who took part in the fighting, appeared a new category — the families of soldiers. Given that the election in 2020 are in the economic crisis, the publication notes the growing importance of the monetary factor. We are talking about the ability to pay for their inclusion in the lists or to bribe potential voters.Marianna Belenkaya
