Syrian Elector

Declaration of Candidacy

Declaration of Candidacy for the

Presidency of the Republic

Citizen Mohamad Ma’amoun El Homsi

O Syrian citizens:

Justice, freedom, and equality are human values consecrated by the three monotheistic religions and positive laws. Humanity has paid a high price for achieving them and suffered death for their sake. The codes of the democratic national stage in the contemporary history of Syria have stipulated them and referred to them with respect, until the Baathist party came to power and established a presidential regime close to absolute monarchy, burying what remained of freedom for the Syrian people by proposing the absolute dictatorial slogan “Asad for Forever”. As such, the state of emergency was the duplicate alternative for the Constitution and the laws.

O Syrian citizens:

Citizens compete in every country in the world for the presidency, except in Syria. Since the arrival of the Baath party to power, the “renovation” slogan was created, at the time of self-renewal of the presidency term, thus turning Syria into an absolute, inherited, royal family state. This has led, practically and definitely, to the suspension, even in form, of what remains of the sovereignty of law, equality between citizens, and alleged equal opportunities. In all the countries of the world, citizens are entitled to elect and be elected. They are also entitled to submit applications for positions in public administration departments notably, the position of the presidency, except in this totalitarian regime, the last stronghold of Stalinism. The regime of Asad and his North Korean counterpart are the only two Republican countries in the world where authority is inherited.

Bashar seeks to consolidate power in polls

  Damascus: The campaign slogans posted on buildings, trees and buses across the capital promise reform, transparency and prosperity.

But few expect Syria's parliamentary elections today to come up with any change beyond further consolidating the country's regime.

The elections, held every four years, come at a time when Syria is seeking to overcome its international isolation. President Bashar Al Assad wants to capitalise on the two-day event to project an image of openness. Opposition groups have called for a boycott of the balloting which they describe as a farce.

The ruling Baath Party and the National Progressive Front are assured of certain victory, regardless of the turnout in the vote, since Syria's constitution reserves two-thirds of legislature for candidates from the ruling coalition. The remaining seats will be filled by candidates running independently, but their candidacy must be preapproved by the government.

July referendum

Among the first tasks facing the new parliament is approving the Baath Party nomination for the Syrian president for a second seven-year term in office. Bashar is hoping today's elections will boost his standing ahead of a July referendum on renewing his mandate, even though he is expected to win the summer vote easily.

"The election is nothing but an occasion for the Syrian regime to reinforce its iron grip over Syrian society," said Maamoun Homsi, a former legislator who spent five years in jail for his criticism of the government. "How can we talk about free elections when Syrian intellectuals and human rights activists are languishing in prison cells," said Homsi, who has left Syria and spoke over the telephone.

Turnout is expected to be low, a tradition in Syria where parliament has no real role in policy-making.

Interior Minister Bassam Abdel-Majid said his ministry will "ensure the voting progresses in a quiet and democratic climate."

But deflecting from praise in Syrian state newspapers of how democratic the vote will be, the government Tishreen daily acknowledged that Syria had its own peculiar style of democracy. Its front page editorial read: "Tomorrow will be a date with a new and important step toward democracy - the Syrian way."

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From: Gulf News, Published on 22/4 2007

Boycott Syrian poll: opposition

DAMASCUS: More than 9,000 candidates will be chasing 250 seats in Syria's parliament tomorrow, in a two-day election which opposition parties - banned but still with a voice - want their supporters to boycott.

It is "pointless to take part in an election whose results are known in advance," said lawyer Hassan Abdel-Azim, spokesman for six banned parties operating under the umbrella National Democratic Rally (NDR). Even Syria's official press acknowledges a distinct lack of excitement among the nearly 12mn eligible voters in the country's population of 19mn. "Except for the candidates, their relatives and those who will profit from this commercial festival, (Syrians) have lost their enthusiasm for the parliamentary elections," said the official daily newspaper Tishrin.

Under Syria's current electoral law, adopted in 1973, 167 seats are reserved for candidates of the National Progressive Front (NPF). This is a coalition of ruling parties headed by the Baath party whose candidates are guaranteed 131 seats - 52% - of the 250 in parliament. The party, which according to the constitution "leads the state and society," along with its allies controls nearly 67% of the seats, the opposition says.

The other 83 seats in the house are allocated to candidates "close to the authorities", so-called independents, according to Abdel-Azim. The mix of candidates includes a total of 1,004 women, a dozen of them competing for the Damascus seats and four running on the NPF ticket. Thirty women MPs sat in the outgoing parliament.

The NPF "will come out the winner" at these elections, as it has done in all organised elections since 1973, said Abdel-Azim.- AFP

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From: Gulf Times, Published: Saturday, 21 April, 2007

Widespread apathy as Syria goes to polls

Damascus, Syria: Syrians across the country began voting for a new parliament Sunday in elections that few expected would do much more than further consolidate the regime's power.

The campaign slogans posted on buildings, trees and buses across the capital promise reform, transparency and prosperity, but there was lack of enthusiasm and some criticism - even in Syria's official newspapers - of the candidates' lack of detailed political programs.

Turnout is expected to be low, a tradition in Syria, where parliament has no major say in policy-making. Voting will continue Monday, and results are not expected before Wednesday.

The ruling Baath Party and the National Progressive Front - a cluster of nine small parties allied with it - are assured of certain victory, regardless of the turnout in the election.

The remaining seats will be filled by candidates running independently, but their candidacy must be preapproved by the government.

In a speech broadcast by Syrian Television Saturday night, Interior Minister Bassam Abdel-Majid urged people to "exercise their electoral right" by choosing the most qualified candidates.

The elections, held every four years, come at a time when Syria is seeking to overcome its international isolation.

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From: Gulf News, Published: 22/04/2007_ Agencies

What about the forthcoming elections in Syria?

Kawa Rashid

The year 2007 holds significant benefits in Syria, where he is expected to hold legislative elections, which will elect 250 members of the legislative role IX, which will extend four years. Then will be organizing a referendum on the new mandate of President Bashar al-Assad after the legislative elections, and it is expected that the referendum should be held in May 2007 in addition to this, there are local council elections, which will take place mostly in summer. This is the second in benefits under the rule of Bashar Assad since he took power in July 2000.

With the approach of the date for legislative elections, the interested public affairs of the Syrian province made it probable spectrum of political opposition, given the absence of indications that the separation of these elections its predecessors, and the absence of law allowing the establishment of political parties, non-party parties and groups allied to him, where a new law of associations and political parties demand of the opposition, Ksoaha to enjoy in other countries of the world legal status, as well as questioning the fairness in the light of the continuation of the state of emergency, and the prosecution of political activists and intellectuals, and to insist that the Baath party leader of the state and society, and the failure to approve a new election law.

As Syrian Kurdish opposition Jzahama of Syrian opposition parties and the majority Maussatha has called for a boycott of the elections and believes in holding any elections free and fair legislative one of these means to find practical solutions and sound of the issues in the country, including finding a democratic solution to the just Kurdish cause in Syria.

Campaigning Ends for Syrian Candidates

By 12:00 Friday Syrian authorities declared an end to campaigning for parliamentary elections to take place this Sunday and Monday. For someone in Syria, such an order may seem a bit ridiculous as they wonder if there are any election campaigns at all to stop.  How can you have election campaign without any real candidates to campaign for?  It seems as though the Syrian election campaign is nothing more than a series of pictures, of arbitrary men and women with no real programs to present.  Those seemingly genuine campaigns are, in reality, full of platitudes to the ruling regime.  They float on the surface of a nonexistent political landscape as orphans, policies and ideas with no one to stand and fight for the change they demand.    

One candidate, for example, is Souha Mouhamed Mayo. She’s handicapped and has pledged to care for the country’s disabled is schools by increasing opportunities and a future beyond university studies.  She’s pushing to abolish discrimination with measures such as the creation of handicapped accessible buildings and streets.  What seems like a decent and clear electoral program is still overshadowed by the obligatory political bow to Syria’s ruling family.  Mayo emphasized that her program was, above all, to support the First Lady, Asma Al Assad.

Dancing, Smoking, Shisha and Eating?

Ahed al- Hindi

It is not a night club or a restaurant, not even a street concert. This is the campaign rooms or “tents” of the election candidates in Syria. These candidates are giving everything else than their electoral programs to the visitors.

While the Government is asking the people to vote and the opposition is asking the people to boycott the elections, the Syrian youth is absent from the whole commotion.

Regime repression is discouraging any kind of youth activities and engagement in cultural, political or social life.

Maher is a law student of 23 years old. “I come to these tents just to spend time with my friends, and to smoke shisha (hubbly bubbly) for free. Usually we spend our time in the cafés, but since it is free here, and life is expensive, why not?”

We can smoke shisha and dance, and we are never bored; every day we visit another tent belonging to another candidate.

Maher hopes elections will happen every year or every six months, to as to enjoy the hospitality of the campaign rooms.

Hana al Salim, a student of English literature says “these tents are bothering me, they keep on playing music all day long, the hosts don’t care about the neighbors or anybody around so how should people trust them to be their representatives in the Parliament?”

We asked some of youth whether they will participate in the election or not.

Mazen Asaf, an engineering student of 24 said: “Of course I will participate, I will be an agent for a candidate, standing at the election station during Election Day, encouraging people to vote for him. I’ll get 3 thousand Syrian pounds (60 dollar) for this job and that’s for just 2 days of work. This is good for me since I have no other work at the moment. In addition, I can now invite my friends now to my candidate’s tent every day and offer them food, drinks and smoking. He allows me to give extra services to my friends.”

Notable presence for Syrian female Parliament candidates

1004 females campaign for the ninth Syrian parliamentary election among a total of 9770 candidates
By Zina Khairi – DAMASCUS
2007-04-07

Syrian Interior Ministry announced the candidates’ list for the ninth Syrian parliamentary election, which will start on the 22nd of this month.

The Ministry also issued new additional regulations to ease getting permission for to participate in this new parliament election.

During a press conference, Deputy Interior Minister announced that there are 9770 candidates running against each other, among them there are 1004 female candidates, which is the highest female percentage in parliamentary elections in Syrian history.

Many women showed their support towards the women participants in this high Syrian legislation institution.

They are happy that they found a new voice to present them.

One woman said, “This is the first time in Syrian history, that there are sixty females from Damascus, the Syrian capital, running for the seats in the parliament.”

Syrian Writer Reports Alliance of Clergymen, Businessmen in Legislative Elections

Damascus Al-Watan
14 Mar 07

[Article by Thana al-Imam: "Election Campaigns Off to Early Start; Clergymen, Businessmen Form Alliances for Ninth Legislative Elections"]

The current legislative elections are expected to include coalitions between clergymen and businessmen with an Islamic background.  The unlicensed Democratic National Grouping has decided to boycott the elections "because no new electrical law has been enacted."

Those willing to compete for the 250-seat People's Assembly have started to submit applications and some of the blocs of independents have started to take a religious color through alliances between clergymen and businessmen.

People's Assembly Member Muhammad al-Habash, an Islamist from the Al-Infitah [open doors attitude] line, said that "the list that he joined includes businessmen with a religious background."  In a statement to Al-Watan, Al-Habash said: "This alliance is established among candidates who have new religious vision and projects that are not opposed to the Syrian parliamentary logic; namely, preserving the chastity of the society."