The head of the Syrian Democratic Union Party, Saleh Muslim, confirmed that the Autonomous Administration has not backed down from holding municipal elections, despite Ankara’s opposition and threat to launch a military operation against the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria if they proceed.
Muslim revealed that the Americans conveyed a verbal message to the Syrian Kurds, indicating they “rushed to announce the elections.” He stated, “We are proceeding with these elections, and the decision is up to the parties participating in the High Commission and the political parties, and the postponement is to avoid the shortcomings that occurred initially. But these elections must be held as scheduled.”
The U.S. embassy in Damascus posted on the X platform, stating, “Any elections taking place in Syria must be free, fair, transparent, and inclusive, as called for by UN Security Council Resolution No. 2254,” adding that “Washington urged the administration not to proceed with the elections and attributed the reason to the fact that the appropriate conditions for such elections are not available in northern and eastern Syria at the present time.”
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“They told us, ‘We see that you are rushing this step,’ that’s all they said, and they didn’t say anything else, and maybe they were right about the logistical arrangements and the shortcomings in preparing these elections, especially the visits of foreign delegations and observers due to their long experience in this field,” Muslim said. He added, “We do not know what is meant by this urgency; whether it is related to the creation of the international atmosphere or the need for more organized local arrangements than the electoral commission.”
Regarding Turkish threats to launch a military operation against the SDF if these elections are held, Muslim pointed out that “the threats exist not because of the elections, but for eight years, that is, since 2016, and Turkey does not need pretexts because it targets the presence of all Syrian components.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has previously confirmed that the elections, scheduled for June 11, were postponed to August, but they were not cancelled, calling it a game aimed at legitimizing a terrorist organization (the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its extension in Syria, the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG)). “Without a doubt, Damascus will not give them permission to hold elections or freely take steps in that direction.”
It is noteworthy that on June 5, the High Electoral Commission in the northeastern region of Syria postponed the municipal council elections scheduled for the eleventh of June until August of 2024, for the second time since their announcement.
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.
