The United States has announced its opposition to the call by the Kurdish-led Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) to begin preparations for municipal elections, claiming that conditions for “free, fair, transparent and inclusive” voting are not currently in place.
“The necessary conditions for such elections are not currently met in Syria, including in the North and East,” said the US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller on Friday.
Citing UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which outlines the criteria for legitimate elections in Syria, the US reiterated that it does not support the AANES’s announcement of intent to proceed with local elections under the current circumstances.
The statement stressed that the US has “consistently advocated” for a process that reflects the principles of Resolution 2254, claiming that the environment in Syria, including in areas governed by the Kurdish-led administration, remains unsuitable for democratic elections.
The US stance comes after the AANES’s High Electoral Commission authorised regional commissions in August to organise elections at an appropriate time. Originally scheduled for June 11, the municipal elections were postponed at the request of participating political parties and alliances.
Washington’s renewed opposition is aligned with its previous statements in May, when Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, said, “We don’t think that the conditions for such elections are in place in NE Syria at the present time.”
The elections have also been met with strong resistance from Turkey, which argues that the proposed electoral process threatens its national security. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan stated on 30 May that “Turkey will never allow the separatist organisation to establish ‘Terroristan’ just beyond its southern borders in the north of Syria and Iraq.”
In an earlier opinion piece written for Medya News, journalist Fréderike Geerdink argued that with this statement, President Erdoğan aims to delegitimise the vote, fearing Kurdish democratic aspirations may inspire similar movements within Turkey.
