Citizen Participation in Local Administration

The election is a requirement to achieve change by choosing a representative administration capable of meeting the local community’s aspirations in improving services, stopping violations, strengthening the judiciary’s role and the rule of law, and establishing mechanisms for control and accountability. And because election achieves all the above, the three governorates considered it the main tool for change, with a percentage reaching 71.49%. Several obstacles against achieving the elections made 28.50% consider current conditions unfavorable: the current security conditions that may prevent massive participation in the elections. Second, lack of sufficient space for civil society organizations and parties to contribute to making the elections a changing tool and not entrenching the status quo. Third is questioning the will for change within the Autonomous Administration, and therefore the elections may be a sham. Fourth is the predominance of custom over the law. In other words, the elections will not bring about a fundamental change.

A civil activist in al-Hasakah said: “The elections are necessary, but they have to be fair. The recent elections of commune members did not leave a positive impact”. Three officials in the authority in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa agreed that the current security and social conditions do not guarantee fair elections that achieve community participation.

A lawyer and human rights activist from Raqqa expressed fear that a part of the Administration does not want those elections to succeed. Therefore, this time is not appropriate.

The participants suggested several conditions as requirements before any fair elections. 74.18% said that the elections should occur without any interference from local or regional bodies. Voters, organizations, and political parties should have absolute freedom to organize awareness and advertising campaigns. 54.75% mentioned the need for a law stipulating equality among northern and eastern Syria residents. 39.61% said that local and international monitoring of elections is a basis for conducting the elections. About marginalized groups, 27.53% said that any election law should leave seats for women and youth.