The vote is scheduled for mid-September to signal a return to normalcy, but a third of parliamentarians will still be appointed by al-Sharaa, there are no political parties, and the current constitution does not provide for autonomy for certain provinces. The issues in Rojava, the Kurdish-majority region, and the southern governorate of Suwayda, home to the Druze. Meanwhile, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has denounced abuses against Alawite women.

Damascus (AsiaNews) - Parliamentary elections will be held in Syria between September 15 and 20. This was announced on Sunday, July 27, by the head of the electoral commission, Mohamed Taha al-Ahmad, to the state news agency SANA. After decades of dictatorship, Syrian citizens will be able to vote freely. Or almost.

The constitution drafted by the current president (a former jihadist) Ahmed al-Sharaa provides for 150 of the 210 seats to be allocated through direct elections, while just under a third of the People's Assembly will be appointed by presidential decree.

The government, composed mainly of former fighters from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the movement that ended Bashar al-Assad's regime, has promised to open its doors to international observers and that regions not yet under government control (such as the Kurdish-controlled northeast or the southern governorate of Suwayda, which has been the scene of violent clashes between the Druze community and other militias for weeks) will continue to have seats allocated according to the ethnic composition of the population.

However, a number of problems remain that are difficult to imagine being resolved in a few weeks: there is a lack of infrastructure and official documents necessary to hold elections. Millions of Syrians are still registered as refugees.

So far, the creation of political parties has not been encouraged, and the current constitution does not provide for any form of autonomy for some provinces over others, making the fate of Rojava, the Kurdish-majority region, particularly unclear. According to previous announcements, Kurdish fighters were supposed to join the Syrian army, but no agreement has yet been reached with Damascus.

Meanwhile, the situation in Suwayda has not yet been pacified. In recent weeks, clashes between Druze and Bedouin tribes, joined by militias close to the al-Sharaa government, have degenerated into widespread violence. Israel intervened in defense of the Druze, bombing southern Syria and the capital.

According to local sources who preferred to remain anonymous, even local journalists have been unable to reach the area for two days.

The United Nations has recorded at least 176,000 displaced persons and, according to information circulating on social media, in recent days the population has held demonstrations against the government authorities to protest against the imposition of blockades on the governorate.

Some trade unions have broken away from their headquarters in Damascus to denounce the current administration's silence on the violence and atrocities committed in Suwayda and the surrounding area.

Damascus has defended itself by saying that humanitarian corridors are fully operational, with regular arrivals of supplies, including fuel, food, and medicine, and that if anything, it is the pro-Hijri factions that are monopolizing humanitarian aid.

The reference is to the Druze spiritual leader Hikmat al Hijri, linked to the trafficking of Captagon (a drug whose trade was controlled by the Assad family) and held responsible for the continuation of fighting against Bedouin clans and militias affiliated with the current government, who in turn accuse the Druze tribes of harboring members of Bashar al-Assad's former regime.

Tens of thousands of displaced people, mostly from Bedouin communities, have taken refuge in temporary shelters in the nearby governorate of Daraa, but it is still unclear how (if) the situation will be resolved.

Clashes with Druze communities in Syria had already been reported at the end of April, but the government had attempted to reach an agreement by allowing local militias to manage security in the Suwayda area instead of the new general security forces established by Sharaa, often with fighters from the ranks of HTS and other militias.

The current government is unable to protect even members of the Alawite minority, to which the Assad family belonged. After clashes along the coast in March, in which more than 1,000 people were killed, extremist elements continued to perpetrate abuses, especially against Alawite women.

Last week, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed serious concern about the disappearances and abductions of Alawite women and girls: "The victims, aged between 3 and 40, were reportedly abducted in broad daylight while on their way to school, visiting relatives or in their homes. In several cases, families have received threats and have been discouraged from pursuing investigations or speaking publicly,“ the statement said.

The allegations have also been confirmed by Amnesty International, which says the victims are at risk of forced marriage, human trafficking, and other forms of abuse. ”The Alawite community, already devastated by previous massacres, has been deeply shaken by this wave of abductions. Women and girls are afraid to leave their homes or walk alone," denounced the human rights organization, which pointed out that several cases had already been reported to the police.

However, most cases were closed and, in two cases, the police blamed the girls themselves for the kidnapping. In another case, even after the ransom was paid by the family, a woman was not released. In other documented cases, it is likely that the girls were forced to marry their kidnappers. Amnesty has called on the current government to open an investigation and prosecute those responsible.

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• Syria
• Damascus
• al Sharaa
• Druze
• Kurds
• elections