By Serdar Dincel
ISTANBUL (AA) - Voting began on Sunday in some districts in northeastern and northern Syria to elect members of the country's People's Assembly (parliament), the Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections said.
Polling opened in the Hasakah and Qamishli districts of Hasakah province, as well as in the Ain al-Arab district of Aleppo province, the SANA news agency said, citing the committee.
The committee stated that 12 candidates are contesting two seats in Ain al-Arab from an electoral body of 100 members, while 13 candidates are competing for three seats in Hasakah, where 150 electors are eligible to vote.
In Qamishli, seven candidates are running for four seats within an electoral body of 198 members.
SANA said the allocated seats were filled uncontested in Hasakah's al-Malikiyah district after only two candidates registered.
Voting is set to continue until around midday and may be extended by one hour if the minimum turnout threshold is not reached.
Vote counting will begin immediately after polling closes, with the preliminary results expected later on Sunday.
In October 2025, Syria held the first parliamentary elections since the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024.
In August 2025, the Syrian election commission announced the postponement of voting in the Suwayda, Raqqa, and Hasakah provinces due to 'security challenges.'
In March this year, elections were held in Raqqa, with four candidates winning seats after the voter turnout exceeded 90%.
The 210-member People's Assembly has a 30-month term, renewable, within a four-year transitional period, with the possibility of an additional year extension.
The Assembly is responsible for proposing and passing laws, amending or repealing existing laws, ratifying international treaties, approving the state budget, and granting amnesties.
