UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Sunday welcomed a presidential decree issued by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa mandating the establishment of a High Electoral Commission to oversee the forthcoming People’s Assembly elections.
In a statement posted on his official account on X (formerly Twitter), Pedersen expressed his readiness to engage with Syrians from all sectors of society to hear their views on the development and their wider hopes for the political process.
He reiterated his commitment to continued cooperation with Syrian authorities and the newly appointed commission, describing the measure as a significant step within the country’s political framework.
Presidential Decree Establishes High Electoral Commission
Earlier this week, President al-Sharaa issued Presidential Decree No. 66 of 2025, formally creating the “High Electoral Commission for the People’s Assembly”, to be chaired by Mohammad Taha al-Ahmad.
The commission is tasked with supervising the establishment of subsidiary electoral bodies that will manage the election of two-thirds of the members of the People’s Assembly.
According to the decree, the Assembly will comprise 150 members, distributed across Syria’s provinces in proportion to their populations. The seats are categorised into “notables” and “intellectuals”, with eligibility and classification criteria determined by the High Electoral Commission.
One-third of the seats will be appointed directly by the president, while the remaining two-thirds will be filled through elections overseen by the designated electoral bodies. The distribution of elected seats by governorate is as follows:
- Aleppo: 20 seats
- Damascus: 11 seats
- Rural Damascus: 10 seats
- Homs: 9 seats
- Hama: 8 seats
- Lattakia: 6 seats
- Tartous: 5 seats
- Idleb: 7 seats
- Deir-ez-Zor: 6 seats
- Hassakeh: 6 seats
- Raqqa: 3 seats
- Daraa: 4 seats
- Suweida: 3 seats
- Quneitra: 2 seats
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.
