Syrians’ turn out at election polls noticeable

Syria’s 10th Local Administration Councils Elections which began at 7:00 a.m. Monday was a scene for noticeable turn out of Syrian voters at election polls in most parts of the country. According to an IRNA reporter in Damascus who was witness to the broad presence of the people at Al-Wahda Institute in Kafar Susa District of the city, the presence of the people waiting to cast their votes that were waiting in long lines. The director of this polling station Hassan at-Tatari told IRNA, “The election is proceeding smoothly and the broad turn out of the people at the polls is surprising for us.” The local councils have broad responsibilities in accordance with the ratification of the new law in August 2011, aimed at increasing the people’s role in deciding their own fate on the one hand, and presenting broader rural services to the people on the other hand, all in line with the process of the reforms in Syria, and meeting the demands of the Syrian society both today, and tomorrow. At-Tatari announced before noontime Monday that 700 Syrian citizens had casted their votes at that station, adding, “The broad turn out of the people at the polls is a sign indicating that the people have welcomed the new law regarding the local councils and expect that it would bring forth favorable results.” He meanwhile said that the elections would end on 10:00 p.m. as scheduled, predicting that that deadline would not be extended any further. The political spectators here believe the vast turn out of the people at the polls in Syrian is due to the new election law and the recent reforms, including the usage of an invisible ink, which prevents the possibility of nay type of vote rigging. There is also a private room at each poll in which the voter freely chooses his favorite candidates in which the names of the entire candidates are put up on a wall. A Syrian citizen, Hassan Heidar, told IRNA after casting his vote a Bakr al-Qddoura voting station, “I voted quite freely and there was no imposing, knowing in advance what programs my candidates have if they are elected, and how they think.” Meanwhile, according to the IRNA reporters in Damascus who have attended a god number of polling stations in the Syrian capital city the voters choose their favorite candidates free from all reservations, even related to any certain political party, or any front. The eyewitnesses at some Syrian villages, such as Marj us-Sultan, Zeiniyyah, and Harasta al-Qantara, too, report high turn out of the people at the ballots. One of those eyewitnesses told IRNA, “The long queue of the people waiting to cast their votes reminds on of the queues behind the bakeries!” The eyewitnesses have also reported the good turn out of the people at election polls in Ashrafiya Sahnaya, enroot Damascus-Daraa road. Some eyewitness sources reporting from the tension stricken Reef District of Damascus, Harsta, and Kafar Batna, too, which have been the scenes of clashes between protesters and government forces in recent months, too, have said that the elections in those regions have been received very coldly by the people. The witnesses in Daraa in the south of Syria near Jordanian border, where the protests began on March 11th, 2010, too, said that the elections were not held there, and not even in the villages in the city’s vicinity. Head of the Supreme Syrian Elections Committee, Khalaf al-Azzawi, too, had said earlier on Sunday, “This committee’s work which began before the elections continues nonstop till the announcement of the election’s results.” He added, “the Elections Headquarters is equipped with advanced facilities and all necessary measures have been adopted to ensure the freedom of the people to cast their votes.” Azzawi said, “This committee has asked the provincial subcommittees to observe strict supervision over the process of sound elections throughout the election hours and afterwards till the announcement of the election results.” He added, “According to the new election laws in Syria, if a blank voting tariff or an illegible one would be casted in a ballot box, or if the votes would be casted in non-election boxes, and even if there would be more than one vote in each voting envelop, they would be annulled. Also the names that would exceed the required numbers of candidates in each tariff would be deleted.” Under such conditions some commentators predict that the Local Administration Councils’ Elections would create a deep gap between the pro and the anti government forces in Syria. According to them, the authenticity of this argument is in the fact that in regions where there has been no, or little tension, the election polls have been well populated, but in tension stricken there have been no such scenes. Such elections have been held in Syria as of the year 1971. Syrians all over the country flocked to elections polls at 7:00 o'clock local time (5:00 am GMT) Monday to elect their representatives to the Local Administration Councils (LAC). LAC elections, in the framework of the ongoing process of building institutions, promoting democracy and achieving the comprehensive reform process led by President Bashar al-Assad, are in implementation of the new Local Administration Law- Decree No. 107- issued by President Bashar al-Assad last August. The elections are further a first practical implementation of the legislative law No. 101 for 2011 on for the General Elections Law which constitutes the cornerstone of the organization of the elections of the members of the People's Assembly and the local councils in Syria. The elections also guarantee the integrity of the electoral process, the right of the candidates to supervise it and ensure full judicial supervision of the voters on the electoral process and their freedom to exercise their electoral right in free and fair atmospheres. 42,889 candidates compete for 1,7588 seats in 1,337 administrative units, including 154 cities, 502 towns and 681 municipalities. The number of the electoral centers is 9,849, two ballot boxes in each, where electors vote for their candidates for the administrative unit, and an election committee consisting of a head and two members supervises the process. • Safar: Local Administration Elections Come within New Mechanism, Allow wide Participation of the Citizens Prime Minister Dr. Adel Safar participated in the elections of the 10th term of the Local Administration Councils at the al-Wehda Establishment for Printing and Publishing electoral center. In a statement to Press, Dr. Safar said that these elections are held without the lists of National Progressive Front to give the opportunity to all citizens and achieve wide participation. He added that the elections also come within new mechanism in the light of the Local Administration new law which enhanced the principle of decentralization and gave the citizens bigger freedom in practicing their efficient role in the economic, social and cultural domains at the level of their governorates. He pointed out that the voters play an important role in drawing the policies of their regions as the election has become 'a duty and right of all citizens'. Premier Safar indicated that the elections come within a new law giving the opportunity to elect freely and in a democratic way through the full supervision of judicial authority on the election process without any interference of the executive authority. He stressed that the government relies on these elections to bring a conscious leadership who would be able to manage the affairs of their regions and their governorates. Safar stressed that these elections constitute genuine opportunity to elect the representatives who are able to fulfill the aspirations of the citizens in improving the state services and developing various regions'. He added that Syria is today witness to the emergence of a critical stage and we should unify our efforts to protect our homeland in the face of conspiracy schemes. Minister of Local Administration Omar Ghalawanji and Information Minister Adnan Mahmoud, too, voted at al-Wehda electoral center. For his part, Minister of Information Adnan Mahmoud said that conducting elections of local administration councils as scheduled in the current stage reflects the Syrian people's determination to move forward in the political, social and economical reform process to build modern Syria in line with their aspirations despite the events taking place in the country. Speaker of People's Assembly Mahmoud al-Abrash, participating in the electoral process, said that the elections constitute an important and essential pillar of the reform and development process, hoping that there will be high percentage of voters. Assistant Interior Minister for Civil Affairs, Hassan Jalali, said Sunday that in a statement to SANA that the electors will be using the identity card for voting, according to Decree No. 125 for 2011 for those who are 18 years of age and above. Jalali said that the ministry has provided all required equipment to the Local Administration Ministry in order to make the election process a success, providing 7340 ballot boxes and invisible ink, which is used for the first time in the elections to ensure the creditability of the process. In Damascus Countryside, the number of candidates reached 4138 competing for 1927 seats, and the electoral centers are 703. The number of candidates in Damascus is 425 competing for 100 seats, while the number of electoral centers is 585. In Aleppo, the number of candidates reached 7805 competing for 2283 seats. The number of electoral centers is 818 in the city of Aleppo and 1202 in its countryside. The province's data indicate that 1286 candidates hold university certificates, MAs and PhDs. In Quneitra Province, 812 candidates, 262 holding university certificates, are running the elections to win 330 seats. In Hama, 3667 candidates are to compete for 1997 seats, more than 55% of whom are holders of university or intermediate institutes certificates. In Tartous, the number of candidates are 3107 competing for 950 seats. In Sweida, 1603 candidates, half of them hold university certificates, are participating through 302 electoral centers to win 645 seats. In Lattakia, 3440 candidates are participating in the elections through 846 electoral centers. In Daraa, the number of candidates reached 1873, with 410 electoral centers and 1043 seats. In Homs, 3500 candidates are running the elections through 611 electoral centers to win the 1496 seats allocated to the province. In Raqqa, 2500 candidates are to compete for 487 seats through 459 electoral centers. Deir Ezzor has 3314 candidates, 1362 seats and 599 electoral centers. Candidates in Idleb are 2468 competing for 1907 seats, and the number of electoral centers is 898. In Hasaka, elections at 850 electoral centers will decide who, out of 4353 candidates, will occupy the 1742 seats. His Excellency President Bashar al-Assad on October 5th issued decree No. 391 for 2011 on specifying Monday, December 12th, 2011 as the date to conduct LAC elections. Minister of Local Administration Omar Ibrahim Ghalawanji, in a statement to SANA, underscored that the new Local Administration Law will have positive significant reflections through the election of well-qualified and experienced members who will work on upgrading the service and development situation at the local units. On August 23, President al-Assad issued Legislative Decree No. 107 for 2011 on the local administration law. The law has five goals. The first goal is applying decentralization of authorities and responsibilities and placing them in the hands of the people to achieve democracy, while the second goal is establishing administrative units capable of devising and implementing development plans for local communities efficiently and effectively. The third goal is boosting financial revenues of administrative locals to enable them to pursue their developmental and services roles, and the fourth goal is improving society at local levels and achieving balance growth and equal opportunities among areas through cooperation among administrative units, while the fifth goal is simplifying procedures for providing services to citizens via establishing services centers. Minister Ghalawanji described the law as 'a quantum leap and 'a new framework for the concept of local administration in Syria in line with the progressing reform process as it meets the local and future needs of society. The new law provided for creating new job positions including that of the governorate secretary general, the city's director and the town's director with the aim of finding legal reference at the administrative units and enhancing decentralization, allocating 25 % of the governorate's budget to establish investment projects to boost the financial revenues of the administrative units in the governorate. Courtesy: SANA for background on Monday Syrian elections.