Syria will hold its first parliamentary elections on Sunday since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, amid concerns over inclusivity and successive delays.
There will be no direct vote for the People's Assembly, which will be responsible for legislation during a transitional period.
Instead, electoral colleges will select representatives for two-thirds of the 210 seats. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will appoint the rest.
Long-time former President Assad was ousted by Sharaa's forces 10 months ago after a 13-year civil war.
Authorities say they have postponed the polls for security reasons in two Kurdish-controlled provinces and a third that experienced deadly fighting between government forces and Druze militias.
The clashes in July marked the latest outbreak of sectarian violence since Assad's overthrow. In a speech at the UN General Assembly last week, Sharaa promised to bring to justice everyone responsible for the bloodshed, as well as those who committed atrocities under Assad.
He also pledged that Syria was now rebuilding itself through establishing a new state, building institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception.
Sunday's polls are being overseen by the Higher Committee for the Syrian People's Assembly Elections, whose 11 members were chosen by the president in June.
The number of seats allocated in each of the 60 districts is based on census data collected in 2010, the year before the country descended into a civil war that killed over 600,000 people and displaced around 12 million.
The postponement of the elections in the three provinces - Raqqa, Hassakeh and Suweida - means that electoral colleges in only 50 out of 60 districts will be choosing representatives for about 120 seats on Sunday.
There will be more than 1,500 candidates, all of whom must also be electoral college members. Supporters of the former regime or terrorist organizations were barred from membership, as were advocates of secession, division or seeking foreign intervention.
At least 20% of the electoral college members were required to be women; however, there were no minimum quotas for female lawmakers or representatives from the nation's diverse ethnic and religious minorities.
During a TV interview, Sharaa defended the electoral process, acknowledging the complications of holding popular elections during the transitional phase due to the displacement of many citizens and the loss of documentation.
The Higher Committee reported that elections could not be held in Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Suweida due to security and political situations.
Critics have raised concerns regarding the legitimacy and inclusiveness of the elections, fearing it reflects a continuation of the authoritarian practices that marked Assad’s regime.
