The Syrian Opposition Coalition’s Office of Studies and Documentation held a panel discussion on the illegitimate elections the Assad regime has recently held. The discussion brought together members of the political committee, political researchers, and journalists.
Held under the title ‘evaluating the position of elections in Syria,’ the panel involved presenting several papers and political analysis on the illegitimacy and legality of the parliamentary elections the Assad regime held in mid-July 2020.
Participants talked about the political consequences of the elections through which the Assad regime is trying to regain its legitimacy by giving the impression of the continued work of the main legislative institution in the country. The elections were met with outright rejection by the United States and European Union.
Coordinator of the Office of Studies and Documentation, Riyad Al-Hassan, stressed the importance of the panel discussion and the need to establish a database of the figures who participated in those elections, including those on terror lists.
Al-Hassan added that the Assad regime made terrorist, military figures participate in political activities in order to paper over the crimes they are committing against the Syrian people. He said that this has a major negative impact on the future of Syria and a indicator of criminals assuming political action.
Al-Hassan clarified that the Assad regime went ahead with elections in view of its need for the People’s Assembly to cover up the crimes and violations it is carrying out; enact legislations related to the displaced people and absentees; issue amnesty for criminals; and draw up a budget to conceal the rampant corruption.
He pointed out that the Assad regime relies on the People’s Assembly in the exceptional courts, international agreements and treaties, and contracts for the sale of state assets to Russia and Iran. This will have a profound impact on the Syrian people for several generations to come, he said, adding that the regime is trying to legalize these violations through the People’s Assembly.
Coordinator of the SOC’s Strategic Consulting Office, Ahmed Ramadan, said that these elections coincided with the rifts that have recently begun to open up within the regime. “We do not look at the procedural aspect of these elections, but at the political dimension, which is part of a farce to restore legitimacy in light of a clear interference from Iran in the elections through figures affiliated with terrorist militias who have been given parliamentary seats.
Ramadan pointed out that Iran’s interference in the elections is a replica of its interference in the Iraqi parliamentary elections through which terrorist figures from the Iraqi Popular Mobilization became members of the Iraqi parliament.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
