With complete clarity and frankness, we declare: what is being called the parliamentary elections imposed by the new transitional authority in Damascus is nothing more than a political farce devoid of legitimacy. These elections were conducted outside any internationally recognized transitional framework, in the total absence of a neutral environment, and under a de facto authority not elected by the consensus of the Syrian people. Such elections are constitutionally void, publicly rejected, and condemned under international law, as they represent a blatant violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2254, which emphasizes the necessity of a comprehensive political process that ensures the participation of all Syrians in determining their future.

Any ballot box in Damascus holds no meaning for the people of Sweida, the coast, or the communities of Eastern Euphrates. Legitimacy is not granted by decrees from above or by sham elections, but rather derives from the free will of the people as affirmed by international covenants and conventions. Therefore, we affirm that these regions, on the very day such unlawful elections are imposed, have the right to organize a free popular referendum to determine their own destiny, including the option of secession from a central authority that no longer represents them.

The principle of the right to self-determination is enshrined in international law, starting with Article 1 of the UN Charter, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 1), and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. It is not a secondary option, but rather a fundamental right of peoples, guaranteeing them the freedom to choose their political status and their economic and social systems, free from coercion and tyranny.

Accordingly, the continued insistence of the transitional authority in Damascus on managing the country through unilateral decisions and closing the doors of consensual political solutions will inevitably lead to the disintegration of the Syrian state, while granting full legitimacy to other regions to exercise their right to establish independent sovereign and constitutional institutions. Any elections organized unilaterally, without national consensus and without international guarantees, are legally null and void, and hold no value when compared to the true legitimacy that stems from the will of the people and their exercise of their legitimate right to self-determination.

24 / 08 / 2025

Dr. Adnan Bouzan

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