Motivated by Fear, Fouad Relocated to Australia. Despite Achieving a Major Milestone, His Future Still Seems Uncertain

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Syria’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of Bashar al-Assad have sparked criticism for how they were run.

Sunday’s vote saw around 6,000 members of regional electoral colleges choose candidates from pre-approved lists, part of a process to produce nearly two-thirds of the new 210-seat body.

President Ahmed al-Sharaa will later select the remaining third of the government.

The elections have been called undemocratic, while some Syrians in Australia say they are more worried about people’s safety than the fairness of voting.

Fears for family’s safety

Fouad Berzghal is a Syrian who has made his home in Australia.

He left the country 14 years ago to avoid joining the military and going to war.

After spending some time in Lebanon, he made it to Melbourne, supported by the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot.

When he thinks about his family back in Syria, he feels concerned for their safety.

“I talk to them every two or three days. It’s really scary over there, and hard for me here thinking about them,” he said.

“There is no electricity, no water even, sometimes.”

He said his family has lost work recently and that some of his relatives have been threatened in recent months.

Asked about his hopes for a safer Syria for his family, he believes there’s no chance of things improving under what he described as a “terrorist government”.

“They treat my whole family badly just because they’re from Latakia, where [former president] Bashar al-Assad was from,” he said.

“It’s crazy they treat the whole area badly just because of that.”

Since the fall of Assad, Syria has been plagued by bouts of sectarian bloodletting with armed groups affiliated to the new government killing hundreds of civilians from the Alawite — to which Assad belongs — and Druze communities.

In August, a number of United Nations experts raised the alarm over sectarian violence against Syria’s Druze community, saying those in several areas including Latakia “face ongoing harassment and fear for their safety”.

The government announced investigations following killings of Alawites and Druze in March and July.

Why have the elections been criticised?

The committee that organised the election has acknowledged “significant shortcomings”, after results showed only 13 per cent of the seats contested were won by female and minority candidates.

Observers said six women and 10 members of religious and ethnic minorities were among the 119 people elected to the new People’s Assembly on Sunday.

Voting was postponed in areas outside government control — including Kurdish-held parts of the country and a province held by the Druze minority — due to security and political reasons, according to authorities, leaving 21 seats empty.

With a total of 70 vacant seats, higher electoral committee spokesperson Nawar Najma said he would try to address any shortcomings in his own appointments.

Kinda alSamara, a lecturer in Arabic Studies at the University of Queensland, said the new leadership of Syria has tried to make the elections seem “legitimate”.

However, the process of pre-approving and hand-selecting candidates is not a “truly democratic” process, she said, and many Syrians were excluded.

“Ordinary Syrians are not voting, and one third of the parliament is appointed by the president and the other two thirds are chosen indirectly, so not through real elections,” she said.

“And only six women out of 119. It’s really sad to have this low number.”

A map showing the seat distribution of Syria's election

Source: SBS News

AlSamara said that Syrians want to have a democratic future, but the country is not ready for one yet.

“There is no proper census and many people don’t have IDs,” she said.

“There are no active party political parties, no technical or social base for elections.

“So let’s be realistic … it’s simply not the right time to hold a meaningful democratic vote.”

While the government may not be considered wholly democratic, it still has a vital role in Syria.

Emerging from conflict

AlSamara said the government’s role is to be transitional and facilitate a return to democracy for Syria.

She said it is designed to run for five years and cannot change the system of government or “sign major agreements”.

“Every country coming out of a war crisis conflict, the first transitional council will be weak and not popular,” she said.

“It’s a job of the first transitional councils to manage this phase, pass basic laws, and prepare for the next, a permanent constitution and real elections.”

A man points to a paper another man is holding on a desk. There are people seated in the background

Members of the electoral bodies cast their votes at a polling station set up inside the governorate building in Latakia, Syria, during the weekend’s election. Source: Anadolu / via Getty Images

But she has concerns on whether the newly-elected government can achieve democratic reform, or whether it will stay in power under illegitimate pretences.

“Fake elections, like these, are more dangerous than open appointments because they give false legitimacy to a temporary authority and make it look permanent.”

“After 14 years of conflict and killing, Syrians really deserve democracy after all of that.”

‘Don’t feel hopeful at all’

Ayat alHakim, a Syrian living in Australia, said her relatives back in Syria do not feel represented by the government.

“I don’t think they represent what the people actually want and need. You have people picked to do the job because they are from the biggest religion,” she said.

“But we need to look at their education, at their work and what they have done before.”

She has heard stories of unrest and turmoil in the wake of al-Sharaa’s rise to power, and said violence has become worse in many parts of Syria.

“I don’t feel hopeful at all. I’m so sorry to say that,” she said.

“My sister is in danger, my other sibling is in danger and as long as they’re still in danger, I can’t see anything hopeful there for me.

“If it’s your country and you don’t find your safety, that’s a problem.”

Berzghal also fears for the physical and financial security of his family.

“I try and send money where I can to help my brother and my family stay alive there,” he said.

— With additional reporting by the Reuters news agency.