The US Department of State spokesperson, Vedant Patel, has said that the US does not believe there are suitable conditions in place for elections to be held in North and East Syria, at a press conference on Thursday.
“So, you’ve heard us say this before that any elections that occur in Syria should be free, fair, transparent and inclusive as is called for in UN Security Council Resolution 2254. We do not think that the conditions for such elections are in place in northeast Syria at the present time and we’ve conveyed this to a range of actors in northeast Syria,” Patel said.
UN Security Council Resolution 2254, adopted on 18 December 2015, outlines a plan for a political resolution to the Syrian conflict. Key elements of the resolution include:
– Calls for a nationwide ceasefire, excluding terrorist groups like ISIS and al-Nusra Front.
– Endorses a Syrian-led political process, aiming for a transitional governing body within six months and free, fair elections within 18 months.
– Emphasises immediate, unhindered humanitarian access across Syria.
– Stresses the need to combat terrorism in Syria.
Writing for Medya News, journalist Fréderike Geerdink had this to say about Resolution 2254:
“That resolution is about elections in the whole of Syria after Assad and the opposition agree on a new constitution … Resolution 2254 dates back to 2015 and there is no progress whatsoever in implementing it. Then accusing the only actor (the AANES) that is actually investing in Syria’s future of undermining democracy, is outright preposterous.”
Also on Thursday, Turkish President Erdoğan called the upcoming elections in North and East Syria a “threat” to Turkish national security, labelling the region as “Terroristan”. Despite Erdoğan’s claims, local parties affirmed their commitment to Syrian unity and condemned Turkey’s interventions.
“The Turkish regime continues to threaten the region with intervention and occupation, claiming that the Autonomous Administration project is a separatist project, despite the fact that in the program of any of the parties participating in establishing the administration, there is no clause calling for separation,” the 33 political parties and organisations said in their statement.
“We, in the political parties and forces that signed this statement, confirm once again that there is no clause or intention to secede from Syria in the Autonomous-administration project that we established, but rather we always call for preserving and defending its unity,” the parties affirmed.
Journalist Amed Dicle responded to the complaints regarding the elections on X, saying “Millions of people (like everywhere in the world) will go to the polls and elect their local rulers. The only reason you worry about this so much is that you are an enemy of Kurds.”
Similarly, Nadine Maenza, leading advocate for international religious freedom and former chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, took to X to say “Democracy is a threat? Could you imagine the US & Intl community allowing Erdogan to destroy this democracy that over represents minorities with half the leaders being women?”
“Something else will fill the governance & security gaps if this democracy falls – and it will likely be Turkish-backed Islamists militias gangs, Iranian-back militias & the Syrian Regime. Religious & ethnic minorities – especially women from these communities – will pay the biggest price,” she added.
Kurdish journalist Diyar Kurda also asked Patel about the elections in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), which look set to be postponed until September.
“So, we understand the high commission requires a delay in order to implement some recent changes to the allotment of seats in the Iraqi Kurdistan parliament and we urge the parties to reach an agreement quickly to schedule free, fair and transparent elections as soon as feasible,” Patel added.
