Syria holds sham vote nobody asked for or wants

Damascus remained largely quiet on Saturday ahead of Syria's first parliamentary election since Bashar al-Assad's removal from power. Many residents appeared unaware of the vote scheduled for the next day, and campaign activity was virtually nonexistent across the capital. Shopkeeper Elias al-Qudsi said he learned about the People's Assembly elections by chance, but he was unsure whether citizens were expected to participate.

The election differs sharply from previous contests under Assad's Ba'ath Party rule. Two-thirds of the new assembly will be selected by electoral colleges, while interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa will appoint the remaining seats. Nawar Nejmeh from the national election committee said direct parliamentary elections were not feasible because millions of Syrians lost identification documents after being displaced by war.

Opposition activists criticized the interim authorities for blocking independent monitors from observing the process. Mutasem Syoufi from The Day After said his organization trained electoral college members, but officials refused to allow observers at polling sites. Residents expressed more concern about power outages, economic collapse, and rising prices than about parliamentary politics.