According to Kurdpress, while the transitional government of Syria is advancing the process of forming the new parliament of this country, major Kurdish parties and currents have strongly criticized the election mechanism and the insignificant contribution of the Kurds in the new power structure, accusing the Damascus government of continuing the exclusion and marginalization policies of the Assad dynasty. An issue that has threatened to boycott the elections by some Kurdish groups.

The main focus of the protests comes back to the fact that out of the total of 140 elected seats in the new Syrian parliament, only 9 seats will probably be allocated to Kurdish representatives; Three seats in Afrin, one seat in Al-Safira and Deir Hafer, and five other seats in Hasakah and Kobani. Kurdish leaders say that this amount has no proportion to the demographic and political weight of Kurds in Syria.

The new election mechanism in Syria

The transitional government of Syria has announced that due to the "exceptional conditions" caused by years of war and the process of political transition, it is not possible to hold direct and nationwide elections in the current situation.

According to the new system, public voting will not be held, and the 210-member Syrian parliament - known as the "People's Assembly" - will be formed through a hybrid model; In such a way that 70 members will be directly appointed by the interim president of Syria, Ahmed al-Shora, and the other 140 seats will be selected through a limited and indirect process.

Dr. Nawar Najmeh, the spokesperson of the Supreme Election Committee of the People's Assembly, which consists of 11 members, says that this commission tries to ensure that electoral institutions remain "independent and impartial" and that all spectrums of Syrian society are represented in it.

This committee, which was formed in June 2025, is responsible for appointing election sub-committees in different areas. The members of these sub-committees can introduce a list of 50 people to the Supreme Committee for each seat. Only people whose names are on these lists will have the right to nominate and vote.

In the first round of elections held in October 2025 and 119 representatives were elected across Syria, less than 0.0003 percent of the country's population participated in the voting process.

After the Damascus government took control of Raqqa and Taqa last January, six more representatives were elected. Also, the January 29 agreement between the Syrian government and the autonomous administration of North and East Syria provided the basis for the start of the election process for 10 seats in Hasaka province and two seats in Kobani. Three seats in Suwayda province are still undecided.

Widespread protest against the low share of Kurds in Haskeh

The final list of candidates for seats in Haskeh province includes 198 people for four seats in Qamishlo, 100 people for two seats in Direk and 150 people for three seats in Haskeh. The seat of Sri Kaniye region (Ras al-Ain) has also been assigned earlier.

The elected representatives will work for a period of 30 months with the possibility of extension.

However, what angered the Kurdish currents is the behind-the-scenes agreements according to which only four seats out of 10 Hasakeh seats will be given to the Kurds; Two seats close to the Democratic Union Party Emphasizing that Kurds make up about 20% of Syria's population, the signatory parties demanded the allocation of 40 parliamentary seats to Kurdish representatives and described the current election process as a "continuation of discriminatory and racist policies" that "does not reflect true representation."

They also considered the election of "Abdullah Abdulhamid Abdullah" - an Arab figure - for the seat of Sri Kanye in order to stabilize the demographic changes caused by Hafez Assad's "Arab Belt" project in the Kurdish areas.

Among the parties and groups that signed this statement, it is possible to mention the Democratic Union Party, the Democratic Society Movement, the Congress Star Women's Organization, the Syrian Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Kurdistan Communist Party and the Democratic Green Party. In response to this issue, 24 Syrian Kurdish political parties and organizations issued a joint statement yesterday, condemning this process and considering it a deliberate attempt to reduce the share and influence of the Kurds.

"Limiting Kurdish representation to four seats ignores the reality in Syria, prevents fair decision-making and deepens the crisis," the statement said.

Emphasizing that Kurds make up about 20% of Syria's population, the signatory parties demanded the allocation of 40 parliamentary seats to Kurdish representatives and described the current election process as a "continuation of discriminatory and racist policies" that "does not reflect true representation."

They also considered the election of "Abdullah Abdulhamid Abdullah" - an Arab figure - for the seat of Sri Kanye in order to stabilize the demographic changes caused by Hafez Assad's "Arab Belt" project in the Kurdish areas.

Among the parties and groups that signed this statement, it is possible to mention the Democratic Union Party, the Democratic Society Movement, the Congress Star Women's Organization, the Syrian Kurdistan Democratic Party, the Kurdistan Communist Party and the Democratic Green Party.

The Syrian Kurdish Patriotic Council did not sign the statement, although it is still part of the Kurdish political dialogue.

Disagreement among Kurdish parties

Parveen Yusuf, co-chairman of the Democratic Union Party, announced that his party will not participate in the elections. Criticizing the mechanism of appointments and seat quotas, he said that this process ignores the "real will of the people".

Youssef added: "We want a parliament that guarantees the effective participation of the Kurds in the future of Syria."

He also emphasized that the current plan recognizes only two Kurdish movements - the Democratic Union Party and the Syrian Kurdish Patriotic Council - and ignores other important Kurdish parties.

On the other hand, Nawar Najmeh, the spokesperson of the Supreme Election Committee, told "Amargi" that the non-participation of political parties in the elections is not very important, because the People's Assembly is a legislative institution that should be "representative of the entire Syrian society."

Some Kurdish political figures have also warned against the lack of coordination between the Democratic Union Party and the Syrian Kurdish Patriotic Council - despite the holding of the Kurdish Unity Conference in April 2025 - and believe that this gap could have negative consequences for the Kurdish regions.

Nemat Davoud, one of the leaders of the Syrian Kurdish Patriotic Council, defended the decision of this council to participate in the elections and said that boycotting the elections would mean "complete surrender of the voice of the Kurds".

Accepting the shortcomings of the current system, he emphasized that the Kurdish Patriotic Council of Syria is trying to defend the rights of the Kurds in the new constitution through participation in the political process and, along with other ethnic and religious groups, play a role in shaping the future of Syria.

Mohammad Moussa, from the Syrian Kurdish Left Party, also warned that the separate participation of Kurdish parties in Damascus and the pursuit of individual calculations will weaken the common position of the Kurds.

Mustafa Mashaikh, head of the political committee of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Unity Party, also said that the 2011 Syrian popular uprising began with demands such as the creation of a democratic and decentralized government; But the "new rulers of Damascus" continue to follow the same monopolistic and exclusionist policies, and with the selective distribution of seats, they seek to create a gap between the Kurdish currents.

He emphasized that the issue of the Kurds is not limited to the number of seats, but is related to the real participation and guaranteeing the political rights of the Kurds in the future of Syria.

The concern of women activists about the exclusion of women in the new parliament

In the last 15 years, the Kurdish areas of Syria have been mainly managed under the administration of the "Autonomous Administration"; A structure that emphasized the equal participation of women and men in political and administrative management.

But the new plan of the Syrian parliament does not provide any guarantee for the effective presence of women.

Reyhan Loko, the spokesperson of the Congress Star women's organization, announced that the transitional government of Syria has left women in practice.

He said: "The government's decisions have created a clear gap between slogans and actual performance. "In our regions, women make up half of the leadership structure, but in the new parliament, they have almost disappeared."

Star Congress has also announced that it will boycott the elections.

"Any political path that does not guarantee the real and effective participation of women cannot lead to a democratic, pluralistic and egalitarian Syria," Loko emphasized.

At the end of their joint statement, the Kurdish parties emphasized the necessity of "true national partnership" and called for the drafting of a modern constitution that recognizes the national rights of the Kurds and all components of the Syrian society.

One of the first duties of the new Syrian parliament is supposed to be the beginning of the drafting process of the country's new constitution; An issue that has become one of the most sensitive stages of Syria's political transition.

However, if the Democratic Union Party carries out its threat to boycott the elections, it will effectively be left out of the constitution-making process; However, the leaders of this party believe that the Kurds have already been deprived of real participation in the future structure of Syria.