Syrian People's Assembly: An Ineffective Institution Under the Fallen Regime... Will the Equation Change?

As the date of the Syrian People's Assembly elections approaches on October 5, the debate about the usefulness of this legislative body, which has long been described as formal and ineffective, returns, especially during the decades of the fallen regime that turned it into a platform for applause rather than accountability.

Since its establishment, the Syrian People's Assembly was supposed to be an independent legislative authority, representing the voice of citizens and monitoring the government's performance. However, the reality, especially during the rule of the fallen regime, revealed a complete absence of oversight, and the assembly became a tool to beautify authoritarian decisions, without having the ability to amend or reject them.

The assembly was nothing more than a constitutional facade used to mislead public opinion, both locally and internationally, while decisions were crafted and implemented in closed circles, far from any real discussion or popular representation.

The previous elections, held under the fallen regime, were managed according to mechanisms lacking transparency, where the results were predetermined, and the seats were distributed based on loyalty rather than competence.

The Syrian citizen did not trust the ballot boxes, as they did not reflect his will, but were used to entrench the authority of a single individual.

Even independent candidates, if they existed, were excluded or marginalized, under the absolute dominance of the Ba'ath Party and its apparatuses, which rendered the assembly incapable of discussing vital issues such as corruption, the economy, or public freedoms.

Today, with a new election date set, Syrians are asking a legitimate question: Can the People's Assembly regain its true role?

The answer does not lie solely in the ballot boxes, but in a genuine political will that guarantees the independence of the legislative institution and opens the door for real popular representation, away from exclusion and direction.

Rebuilding trust begins with acknowledging that the assembly, in its previous form, lacked popular legitimacy, and that any attempt to reproduce it with the same mechanisms will be met with popular rejection, regardless of the slogans raised.

The Syrian People's Assembly will be of no use unless it transforms into a platform for accountability rather than flattery, and unless it is granted real powers in legislation and oversight.

The upcoming elections may be an opportunity, but they will mean nothing if not accompanied by radical reforms that restore citizens' trust in state institutions and take the assembly out from under the fallen regime's cloak into the realm of true democratic representation.