ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian authorities on Sunday held follow-up legislative elections in Kurdish areas of northern and northeastern Syria, a process criticized by some as undemocratic and unfair.
The election, which took place in most parts of the country in October last year, does not allow the public to vote directly. Instead, a limited number of approved voters in each area choose members of the interim parliament, which has yet to begin functioning.
The process had been delayed in the Kurdish-held areas of Kobane, Hasaka, Qamishli, and Derik (al-Malikiyah) due to security concerns.
Following an integration deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Damascus after weeks of clashes in January, the central government on Sunday held the delayed elections in Kurdish areas — polls considered the first in decades, though criticized as not fully democratic.
In Kobane, 12 candidates competed for two seats, while 13 candidates contested three seats in Hasaka and seven candidates ran for four seats in Qamishli. In Derik, two candidates secured seats uncontested after no other contenders registered.
The elections were conducted through electoral bodies made up of a limited number of approved members in each district, rather than through direct public voting. Candidates competed for parliamentary seats before these bodies, which consisted of between 100 and 207 electors depending on the area.
Five Kurds were among the winners in the elections held in Kobane, Hasaka, Qamishli, and Derik, bringing the total number of Kurdish representatives in the interim parliament to at least eight, including three elected in Afrin in October 2025.
The parliament will consist of 210 members, 70 of whom are appointed directly by the interim president.
Fasla Yousef, a senior member of the Kurdish National Council (ENKS), which has acted as the main opposition group in northeast Syria (Rojava) since the Syrian civil war, secured a seat in Hasaka.
“We will work for the Kurdish cause and all Syrians… We will defend all Syrians," she told Rudaw's Dilbxwin Dara following her victory.
She said she would take the oath in Kurdish and Arabic, adding that she plans to wear Kurdish clothing during the first parliamentary session.
However, a senior member of Rojava's ruling Democratic Union Party (PYD) criticized the process.
"Today, individuals are being appointed to represent the Kurdish people in the Syrian parliament. But once again, an exceptional law is being applied against the Kurds. The individuals were pre-selected in advance, and the ballot box is merely a cover for these appointments. This means the policy of excluding the will of the Kurdish people is still continuing," Foza Yusuf wrote on X.
The PYD did not officially field any candidates but reportedly endorsed several independents, including some eventual winners.
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