| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Majlis Al-Chaab / People's Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
22 April 2007 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in the People's Assembly on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
The 22 April 2007 elections were the second to be held since President Bashar Assad assumed power in July 2000 following his father's death a month earlier. President Assad pledged to modernize the country's economy. The Baath Party
which he heads
has ruled Syria under a state of emergency since it seized power in 1963.
Of the 250 seats
just over two-thirds (170 seats) are reserved for the ruling National Progressive Front (NPF) coalition. Voters select one list from among a series of lists of parliamentary candidates. Two-thirds of the candidates on each list are from the NPF. The coalition
comprising ten political parties
was led by the Baath Party
which itself is guaranteed 131 seats. The other 80 seats are allocated to independent candidates.
Opposition parties are officially banned
although some of them remain active. They demand above all a law authorizing the establishment of political parties other than the Baath Party and the lifting of the state of emergency. In 2005
they launched an appeal for "democratic change" in Syria. Six banned parties operating under the umbrella National Democratic Rally (NDR) called for a boycott of the elections
saying that it is "pointless to take part in an election whose results are known in advance".
Some 9
770 candidates
including 1
004 women
contested the 2007 elections. Many candidates pledged to provide economic prosperity. According to official statistics
the country enjoyed a growth rate of 5.1 per cent in 2006 and reduced its external debt from US$ 24 billion in 2005 to under five billion in 2006.
Several anti-fraud measures were implemented for the first time. They included transparent ballot boxes and indelible ink to prevent multiple voting.
According to the official results
approximately 56 per cent of the 7.8 million registered voters turned out at the polls. A total of 11
967
611 citizens were eligible to vote. However
many expatriates did not obtain voter cards
bringing the number of the registered voters down to 7
805
994. Opposition figures and human right activists insisted that turnout was as low as 10 per cent
taking into account many deserted polling stations.
After the polls
street protests condemning vote rigging turned into violent incidents in northern Syria. Following the army's intervention
five people were reportedly seriously injured.
The final results gave Syria's ruling NPF 172 seats. The remainder went to independent candidates.
On 7 May
the newly elected People's Assembly held its inaugural session and re-elected unopposed Mr. Mahmud Abrash as its Speaker with 243 votes.
On 11 May
the People's Assembly unanimously nominated Mr. Bashar Assad as the president of the country for a new seven-year term starting on 17 July 2007. The public referendum of 27 May approved this nomination by over 97 per cent of the votes. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 22 April 2007 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
7'805'994
56%
|
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of votes |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Candidates |
Votes |
|
|
% |
|
|
| National Progressive Front (NPF) |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
|
|
|
|
| National Progressive Front (NPF) |
172
|
|
|
|
|
| Independents |
78
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
220
30
12.00%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
21 to 30 years
31 to 40 years
41 to 50 years
51 to 60 years
61 to 70 years
|
29
83
81
46
11
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
| Legal professions |
48 |
| Civil/public servants/administrators (including social/development workers) |
45 |
| Educators |
36 |
| Engineers/PC experts |
28 |
| Farmers/agricultural workers (including wine growers) |
27 |
| Economists |
20 |
| Medical professions (doctors
dentists
nurses) |
19 |
| Others |
8 |
| Architects |
6 |
| Military/police officers |
5 |
| Media-related professions (journalists/publishers) |
5 |
| Bankers (including invest bankers)/accountants |
2 |
| Liberal professions (including artists
authors) and sports professionals |
1 |
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- People's Assembly (03.03.2008)
- AFP
- BBC News |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
