At a politically sensitive moment, all eyes turn to Damascus, where the chapters of the first parliamentary elections after a decade of conflict and division are being written.

The elections, described by Syrian authorities as “historic,” were seen by critics as merely a “political façade” that reinforces the existing power structure. Opinions are divided between those who view them as the beginning of a “transitional democracy” and those who believe they represent a reproduction of the old system in a new form.

Writer and political researcher Bassam Al-Suleiman described these elections, in an interview with Sky News Arabia, as “a necessary step within the context of an exceptional transitional phase.” He explained that “the current stage does not allow for the full application of democratic standards but requires interim solutions that ensure the transfer of legislative authority and fill the institutional vacuum.”