Washington has reiterated its opposition to holding municipal elections in northeastern Syria, which is controlled by the Autonomous Administration. This follows the decision by the High Electoral Commission in the region to authorize elections on a provincial basis.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller stated on Friday that the U.S. believes the conditions necessary for free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections in Syria, including its northern and eastern regions, are not currently met. Consequently, Washington does not support the planned electoral process proposed by Kurdish units.
The High Electoral Commission, affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), has given northeastern Syria’s governorates the mandate to hold municipal elections at an appropriate time, based on the status of each governorate and in coordination with the High Election Commission.
The Autonomous Administration has repeatedly postponed the municipal elections, initially scheduled for the end of May, then to mid-June, and later to August.
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Previously, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel emphasized that any elections in Syria must adhere to UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which calls for them to be free, fair, transparent, and inclusive. He reiterated that the U.S. does not believe these conditions are met in northeastern Syria.
An informed source told Athr Press that the decision to allow governorates to conduct elections appears to be an attempt to bypass the Kurdish Autonomous Administration’s reluctance to hold elections, particularly in the face of opposition from Washington. The source suggested that the U.S. State Department’s stance could exacerbate tensions in the region and potentially provide justification for Turkey to initiate new military actions against SDF positions.
In August, the Kurdish news agency Rudaw reported that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria was considering indefinitely postponing the local elections, which were initially set for that month. A secretary from one of the parties, speaking anonymously, mentioned that due to the sensitive situation in northern and eastern Syria, postponing the elections was necessary to ensure a successful process.
At the same time, Saleh Muslim, head of the Syrian Democratic Union Party, confirmed that the U.S. had conveyed to the Syrian Kurds a verbal message indicating that they had “rushed to announce the elections.”
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
