00:00Syria is holding its first parliamentary election since the fall of the Assad regime.
00:04But the vast majority of people in Syria won't be voting.
00:08So what's going on?
00:09The interim government says they haven't had time to update or verify records of Syria's citizens.
00:15Millions have been displaced or no longer have documents.
00:18So they're holding an election via indirect voting.
00:22And yes, it's complicated.
00:24So far, the government has appointed a Supreme Elections Committee.
00:27And that Supreme Elections Committee has appointed subcommittees in each of the regional governments.
00:34These subcommittees have selected members to serve on electoral colleges.
00:39And they are the ones who have the right to nominate themselves and vote to select members of the People's Assembly.
00:45Who are these people?
00:46Well, there was a formula for that.
00:4870% of the candidates were picked based on their qualifications,
00:52while 30% were selected from local notable community figures.
00:57On Sunday, the electoral college members will vote to elect representative of the Syrian People's Assembly.
01:03But not all of them.
01:04They're electing 140 out of the 210 seats.
01:09That's two-thirds.
01:10The remaining 70 will be appointed directly by the president.
01:13And of Syria's 14 regional governments, three are not having any kind of election at all.
01:19Voting is not happening in a sweda, which is controlled by Druze-armed factions,
01:23or in Raqqa and Hasaka, which are under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
01:29Authorities have postponed elections in those areas until conditions allow.
01:33The constitutional declaration for the transitional period is as close as Syria has to a constitution.
01:40It says the People's Assembly elected on Sunday will govern until a permanent constitution is adopted,
01:45and real direct elections are held.
01:48How long could all this take?
01:49Well, the interim parliament's term has been set at 30 months and could be renewed.
01:54Good.
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