Syria’s path to democracy: The End of a Tyranny

Photo via CNN Mundo

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After years of turmoil, Syria has finally held its first parliamentary elections after the downfall of the Assad regime. According to Al Jazeera “the stunning collapse of more than 53 years of al-Assad family rule has been described as a historic moment – nearly 14 years after Syrians rose in peaceful protests against a government that met them with violence that quickly spiraled into a bloody civil war.” Without a doubt, the end of the regime has marked a historic milestone for Syria’s political and social transformation. The Assad regime, under the rule of Bashar al-Assad, came to power in 2000 and remained in control until its overthrow in 2024. The al-Assad family has dominated Syria and the Syrian Ba’ath Party for half a century. Bashar al-Assad, the son of former president Hafez al-Assad, rose to power at the young age of 34 through orchestrated elections, despite the constitution stipulating that the president must be at least 40 years old. 

On December 8, 2024, the former president’s regime collapsed amid a major offensive led by the opposition group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), with significant support from the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army. This offensive marked a major turning point in the Syrian Civil War, which began with the Syrian Revolution in 2011. When Assad fled Damascus as rebel forces captured the capital, his departure symbolized the end of decades of authoritarian rule defined by bloodshed and repression. Syria now embarks on a long-awaited transition toward democracy and fair elections. 

Although Syria’s constitution claimed to uphold political pluralism and democracy in practice, Assad and the Ba’ath party monopolized power. Until recently, Syria’s parliament was dominated by the Ba’ath party and its allies who prevented the establishment of any other political groups and outlawed political opposition. Elections under Assad were routinely rigged to maintain his hold on power. For example, according to the CRD, in 2014 “Bashar al-Assad won with 88.7% of the vote. Citizens living in areas outside the Syria regime’s control were not allowed to vote.” This, in turn, left approximately a quarter of Syria’s population without a say in the presidential elections. Government employees were also routinely coerced into voting for Assad and the Ba’ath party under threats from the country’s infamous security forces.

As BBC News reports, “the committee which organized Syria’s first parliamentary elections since the fall of Bashar al-Assad has acknowledged significant shortcomings, after results showed only 13% of the seats contested were won by female and minority candidates.” Observers also noted that there was no direct popular vote. Only six women and roughly 100 members from religious and ethnic minorities were among the 119 individuals elected to the new People’s Assembly. Electoral colleges chose members  for two-thirds of the 210 seats, while interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa appointed the rest. Meanwhile, about 21 seats remain open due to postponed polls in two Kurdish-controlled provinces in the north and a third province in the south, where government forces and Druze militias continue to clash. Despite the promise of a more peaceful era, traces of conflict still persist across the region.

Syria’s newly elected president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who took office in 2025, has pledged a “swift and smooth transition toward democracy.” He emphasized that the new parliament would play a pivotal role during its 30-month term and vowed to lead Syria toward an inclusive political future. Al-Sharaa, a Sunni Islamist leader whose forces helped topple the Assad regime in 2024, faces the immense challenge of rebuilding a nation devastated by a 13-year civil war that claimed an estimated 600,000 lives and displaced over 12 million. While human rights organizations have found difficulty in calculating the exact death toll, “The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an independent United Kingdom-based organization that monitors the conflict, estimated a death toll of 656,493 from March 2011 to March 2025 — 199,068 of them civilians, including men, women and children. Of those, the group documented the names of 546,150 people. These figures do not include some civilians who died in detention and some rebel figures.” After pausing its casualty reporting for over five years, the United Nations released an updated death toll in 2021, confirming at least 350,000 deaths between March 2011 and 2021. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights recognized that this figure was “certainly an underestimate of the true number of deaths.” Following the fall of Damascus, Bashar al-Assad, his wife Asma al-Assad, and their family reportedly fled to Moscow. 

As Syrians navigate a tumultuous sea, they are left to reckon with the remnants of war and the fragile promise of a democratic future. The country stands at a crossroads, burdened by the task of rebuilding its cities, economy, and its institutions. Millions remain displaced both within Syria and abroad, and deep social, sectarian and political divisions continue to challenge the nation’s recovery. Yet amid the ruins, a renewed sense of hope endures. Civil society groups, youth movements, and local communities are beginning to take part in shaping a new national identity grounded in pluralism, democracy, and justice.

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This article was edited by Emma Zadrima and Eliana Tesfaye.