On the forthcoming Syrian parliamentary elections
Syria, Politics, 1/18/2003

It was announced in Damascus on Wednesday ( January 15) that elections of the 8th legislative session of the Syrian People's Assembly ( parliament) will start on March 2nd, when candidates from 7 recognized parties and independents will compete for 250 seats representing 14 Syria governorates.

These elections for which nomination was declared officially by the ministry of the interior on Thursday is of special significance because it is the first under the rule of President Bashar al-Assad, despite the fact that a law for parties was not established yet, though it was expected before the dissolution of the parliament in December ( 2002).

According to the Syrian constitution and the elections law, the percentage of workers and peasants should be more than 50% of the total final figure, regardless to their party's affiliation. In the Presidential Decree issued to this effect and stated by the Syrian official news agency SANA, about 127 of the parliamentarians out of the total number of 250 members will represent "workers and peasants" and the other 123 "other people's social strata." However, changes are expected to be introduced to the structure of the parliament and the nature of the candidates as well as their affiliations.

For its part, the Baath party set new conditions for its candidates to that the candidate has been an "active member in the Baath party for 10 years minimum, to have had played a key role for five years, and to have a BA if he is not a peasant or a worker, and to have at least a secondary school certificate if he is from the latter group ( worker or peasant)."

However, the former 7th session included within the list of the National Progressive Front which includes seven parties including the Baath Party ( 135 members ) while the Syrian Communist party ( with its two split groups has 8 representatives), seven for the Arab socialist federation ( al-Itihad al-Ishtiraki al-Arabi); seven for the Socialist Unionist ( al-Wahdawi al-Ishtiraki); Four for the Democratic Socialist Unionist ( al-Wahdawi al-Ishtiraki al-Demoqrati); four for the Arab socialist, while number of independent candidates tolled 83.

Previous Stories:
  Damascus meeting for Iraqi neighboring states, attended by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Turkey, Iran   (1/17/2003)
  Syrian parliamentary elections are in March   (1/16/2003)
  Syrian parliamentarian calls for a new constitution   (12/11/2002)

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