| 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
31
12.40%
|
| 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
