Legislative elections in Syria: An unchanging political landscape

In Damascus, portraits of dozens of candidates have been plastered on every corner ahead of Monday's legislative elections in Syria, the results of which are unlikely to disrupt the political landscape dominated by President Bashar al-Assad's party.

These elections, held every four years, have consistently seen the Baath Party, in power since 1963, securing the majority of the 250 seats. This upcoming election is the fourth since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011, occurring in the absence of any real opposition.

Campaign posters feature numerous candidates promising to improve living conditions in a country devastated by more than 13 years of conflict that has plunged the majority of Syrians below the poverty line, according to the UN. “Together to support small projects,” reads one candidate’s poster in a central Damascus square, while another promises “a prosperous economy.”

“There are new faces, but also the ones we’re used to seeing,” said Fawaz Hanna, a 56-year-old photographer in Damascus. “We just ask to be able to make a living... and for the candidates to live up to their slogans and keep their promises,” he added. 

The war has claimed over half a million lives and caused the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 13.8 million people forcibly displaced inside and outside the country, according to the UNHCR.

The exiled opposition has denounced the elections as "absurd" and representing only the ruling authority. Talks between Damascus and the opposition under UN auspices have repeatedly failed to reach a political settlement, leaving the country fragmented.

The government controls most of Syria, with large parts of the northeast managed by semi-autonomous Kurdish authorities, and jihadists and Turkish-backed groups holding parts of the north and northwest. 

Polling stations have been set up for residents of these regions now living in government-controlled areas, but those in opposition-held areas and millions of refugees abroad cannot vote. Parliamentary seats are split fairly evenly between the working and agricultural sectors (127 seats) and other popular socio-professional categories (123 seats).

A total of 8,953 candidates, including 1,317 women, are running, according to authorities. “I don’t have enough political awareness to know what’s going on during the elections, but I’ve only seen two portraits of female candidates,” said Aya Jdid, a 22-year-old communication student in Damascus, noting that most candidates are older men.

Last year, Damascus restored ties with several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, after years of estrangement, and even regained its seat in the Arab League. On Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that he could invite his Syrian counterpart to Turkey at any time, signaling reconciliation after years of severed relations.