Syria's parliamentary elections will likely consolidate the transitional government's authority and entrench Islamist-aligned governance. However, the vote is unlikely to foster minority integration, which means Syria will likely face more insurgencies that deepen fragmentation and set back national unity. On July 27, Syria's transitional government announced that it would hold its first parliamentary elections between Sept. 15 and 20. The parliament will expand from 150 seats to 210, with a third of those seats appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa. Local councils will vote on the rest of the seats indirectly through an electoral college system constitutionally established throughout the provinces. The government said even areas like the Kurdish northeast and the Druze southeast would be allocated seats, and that foreign election monitors would be invited in to monitor the entire process. Meanwhile, a Syrian government official said on July 27 that Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, one of the Druze community's...
