00:00Benta Schella is head of the Middle East and North Africa division at the Heinrich Boll
00:05Foundation, a think tank affiliated with the German Greens.
00:09She last traveled to Syria in July and joins us now from Berlin.
00:13Benta, these are the first parliamentary elections since Assad's fall.
00:18After decades of Assad rule, how fair and free do you imagine these elections will be?
00:25Well, first of all, I have to say as a German, I am impressed.
00:28It's only been nine months since the toppling of Assad's regime.
00:33That is a short period in comparison.
00:35Remember, Germany took four or nearly five years to hold the first elections after World
00:41War Two.
00:42So I think it is an oppressive step.
00:44And the problem, however, is these elections will not be general, not be direct.
00:50And therefore, I think there are certain doubts about them.
00:53It's indirect elections.
00:55And of course, there is a large shadow about how the committees were composed.
01:00You say they're indirect elections.
01:03Briefly walk us through how these elections will work in terms of the general electoral
01:08system, et cetera.
01:09Well, there are two kinds of seats in the parliament.
01:14One third of the seats, it's direct appointments by Ahmed Ashara.
01:19The other two thirds come through indirect elections.
01:23Ahmed Ashara has also appointed a general committee for the elections.
01:27And this general committee has appointed subcommittees in each district.
01:32And these then elect electoral colleges, as it's called, from whose ranks the candidates
01:39in the end come.
01:41So it's indirect elections with a heavy hand of the president in the very composition of
01:46the bodies electing.
01:47And there is no quota, neither for minorities nor for women, for the final elections.
01:53You talk about minorities and women.
01:55How inclusive is the process, especially for women, minorities, and displaced Syrians?
02:02Well, there are some concerns regarding this because, like I said, in the last step, there
02:10is no quota for anybody.
02:12And therefore, I think these elections are a test how inclusive the new government wants
02:16to be.
02:17With this one third of the seats that Shara himself could handpick, of course, he could
02:22still adapt and include more women, more minority members, if he thinks through the general
02:28elections, these were not elected.
02:30So we will really need to see how inclusive the composition of the parliament is.
02:35More important, however, will be to see whether other than Assad, the parliament will be included
02:40in shaping the policy of the coming month.
02:43It is an election for a parliament for the next 13 months.
02:48And within this period of time, a new electoral system should be developed and the next elections
02:55should be direct.
02:56They should be fair in general.
02:58I'm curious, do you see signs of genuine institutional reform or is Syria heading toward a new form
03:06of authoritarianism?
03:07What we've seen so far could go to either direction.
03:13On the one hand, I think we see an authentic effort of Shara to be more transparent, to really
03:20talk to people, to engage with people.
03:23This is a significant difference.
03:25However, institutional reforms have been lagging behind.
03:28I think many citizens are not happy with a slow pace that developments and improvements are going.
03:34And I think also the issue about inclusivity.
03:38We've seen so many incidents in the past month regarding the Druze, the Alawites and the Kurds
03:44that give reason to be concerned and see how it develops.
03:47Of course, I think all these efforts need a lot of support.
03:51I think Europe should really be engaged in these and not leave the field entirely to the Gulf
03:56States, who are much closer following up with Shara as well as Turkey.
04:01Syria, of course, has long been a pariah nation.
04:04What impact might these elections have on the country's reintegration into the international
04:10community and the possible lifting of sanctions?
04:15I think that this is really very relevant for this because there should be a first step.
04:20There should be relevant and visible signs that Shara means it when he says that he wants
04:26to rule a state that has reliable institutions.
04:30I think it is a positive step and it will earn him recognition.
04:34Therefore, I think that this is not really a step in the wrong direction.
04:39However, to be filled with content, to really live up to the standards that he sets will be the
04:44challenge because just to tick a box that elections were held will not matter as much as how political
04:50reforms afterwards continue.
04:52So I think that it's really important for him to get in touch with the Druze and the Kurds,
04:59to find an arrangement with them that makes them feel represented and recognized.
05:04And this might be the main door opener also with the international community.
05:08Bente Shella, our deep thanks to you.
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