The vote this year follows a new wave of U.S. sanctions that came into effect last month and a campaign to fight corruption that saw a wealthy cousin of President Bashar Assad come under pressure to pay back tens of millions of dollars to the state
Some 1,658 government-approved candidates are running this year for the 250-seat People’s Assembly. The total number of eligible voters hasn’t been announced.Inside polling stations, all workers were wearing masks and gloves and voters had to use their own pens in the sanitized booths. Once they cast the ballots they had to leave immediately as no gatherings were allowed inside. People also had to keep a safe distance while waiting for their turn.
Syria, that had a pre-war population of 22 million, has reported 496 cases of infections and 25 deaths because of COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. However, the actual numbers are likely far higher and increases have been reported in recent days. Some 167 seats are allocated for Assad’s ruling Arab Socialist Baath Party – guaranteeing it a solid majority – while the rest are allocated for independents, including merchants, businessmen and industrialists.
The so-called Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act, envisages sanctions on Syrian troops and others responsible for atrocities committed during Syria’s civil war and also provides funding for war crimes investigations and prosecutions.Outgoing legislator Mohannad Haj Ali, who is under U.S. and European sanctions, said the country is experiencing a “suffocating economic and political siege.
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