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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.