The position of the opposition:

The Syrian opposition has decided to boycott the People’s Assembly elections. However, Bassam Hussein, secretary general of the Liberal Democratic Secular Grouping, decided to disrupt this boycott and to run for elections. Most opposition forces believe that the Syrian regime is hopeless. Attorney Hasan Abdul Azim, spokesman for the Democratic National Grouping and member of the Damascus Declaration, has said that the “People’s Assembly elections in Syria are formal and non serious, and therefore, we decided to boycott these elections.” He added that “we will not participate in the People’s Assembly elections.” He pointed out that the opposition will not participate because practically speaking, there are no real elections,” as he put it.
He added that “had there been real political will by the regime, it would have at last changed its mind about the election law to create some king of competition. However, there is some kind of insistence that the elections follow the same previous trend as that of 1973 to date.”

Beginning with the preparatory measures:
Preparations for the elections can be seen in the following:

The Syrian Minister of Interior issued a decision forming the nomination committees for the upcoming people’s Assembly elections in the country. The number of those eligible to vote stood at 12 million voters.

Acceptance of nominations for the People’s Assembly elections in Syria was begun in light of new laws that curb the high cost of the election campaigns which characterized the previous elections more than a decade and a half ago.

The elections of the Ninth Legislative Session for 2007 will witness the use of new glass ballot boxes similar to the boxes used in the European Union countries. These boxes were recently imported by Syria. Each voter can see what is inside the box.

The secret ink, which is safe from the health standpoint and which is used by most advanced countries in their election processes, will be used in Syria to forestall voting for two times by one single citizen in any election.

If they happen to be present in Syria during the election period, Syrian expatriates can get their election card and exercise their right to vote in any polling centers. The law spelled out the right of voting for the Syrian citizens who come to Syria from abroad to exercise their right to vote.

Several committees were formed. One of them is central and is headed by the Interior Minister and the other is headed by the assistant Minister for Civil Affairs and the chairmen of the central committees in the governorates, namely, the governors. The duty of these committees is to prepare instructions, decisions and orders and to receive the applications of nominations, to examine these applications from the legal viewpoint in preparation for making decisions on them. The duty of the committees is also to reply to the inquiries which are received by the central committees.

To follow up the progress of the elections, to fulfill their demands, to approve the final results of the elections in all election constituencies. When the candidate receives receipt which means the approval of his application for candidacy, he can immediately begin his publicity campaign provided that this campaign should stop 48 hours before the beginning of polling which is fixed on 22 April 2007.

It is now possible for any Syrian citizen to easily get the voting card to vote for the Ninth Legislative Session of the People’s Assembly.

A total of 11,967,611 citizens of the total population are entitled to vote in the elections.

Nearly 58 per cent of the voters are now carrying the voting card.

he number of candidates in the elections several days after the door was opened for candidacy reached 357 candidates, including 35 in Damascus and 32 in the rural areas of Damascus. The presidential decree designated 127 members to run as representatives of the workers and farmers and 123 members for the remaining segments of the people.

The Muslim Brotherhood Group calls on the president to step down:

The leader of the prohibited Muslim Brotherhood Group in Syria, Ali El Bayanouni, has called on Syrian President Bashar El Assad to step down and to allow free elections. He said that the opposition would resort to civil disobedience if democratic reforms are not introduced to the country. El-Bayanouni, who is residing in London in exile, said that seven years of the rule of Bashar is enough for him to submit his resignation and to step down so as to allow others to take over the responsibility of the presidency in the country through real competition among candidates, not a referendum. He pointed out that the opposition parties will boycott the parliamentary elections due to be held next month. Many Syrians believe that these elections will be “sham” elections.”

Article 24 of the General Election Law:

The candidate should stop his election campaign 48 hours before the time due for the polling.

The candidate shall have the right to release bulletins announcing his nomination and indicating his plans and goals and everything that is related to his platform after he receives the final notification that includes the approval of his nomination, provided that this platform is signed by him and that he should submit three copies of the bulletins and statements to the governor.

The candidate should fix the ceiling of financial spending on the election publicity at 3 million Syrian Liras.

The candidate should appoint a financial officer within three days from receiving the final notification of the acceptance of his candidacy. The financial officer shall be vested with the power of financial spending on the publicity. The central committee of the constituency shall be notified with the name of this financial officer.

The financial officer should not serve in this capacity for more than one candidate. At the end of his assignment, he should submit a statement of account and a report on his work to the central committee of the electoral constituency. He should give a copy of the statement of account and the report to the candidate. The committee shall undertake the work of auditing the financial statement and the report submitted. If the committee finds out that a winning candidate has violated the provisions of Paragraph B of Article 24 pertaining to the ceiling of financial spending, it ay submit an appeal contesting his nomination to the president of the supreme constitutional court which may apply the provisions of the Third Chapter of Law no. 19 of 1973.

Article 24 prohibits the candidates within the scope of their electoral constitu7encies to offer services or in-kind or cash aid to the individuals, societies, sports clubs, and moral persons. It gave the right to the administrative units to determine special places for hanging the posters, statements and election bulleting. Posters are not allowed to be hung on the walls of the public or private buildings and outside the places designated for them. It is also prohibited to write the names of the candidates or any other election campaigns on these walls.

Election meetings will be allowed to be held during the period of the election publicity in accordance with the laws and regulations in force and the instructions that are issued by the Minister of Interior.

As for those who violate the provisions of Paragraph B of Article 24, the law imposes on the contravener a financial fine amounting to a dozen times the value of the excess spending on the publicity and the value of this fine shall go to the general budget of the State,

Closure of the door of nomination:

On 20 March, which is the last day for the acceptance of the applications, the number of candidates for the membership of the ninth session of the people’s Assembly in Syria reached 5733 candidates. On the last day fixed for the acceptance of these applications, the centers of the committees at the governorates received 1,757 application, including 965 applications for the sector of workers and farmers and 792 applications for the remaining segments of the people.

Total number of candidates for membership of the People’s Assembly:

The total number of the applications submitted for membership of the ninth Legislative Session of the people’s assembly for 2007 reached, with the end of the period specified for the acceptance of these applications, 9807 applications, including 5086 for the sector of the workers and farmers, and 4721 applications for the remaining segments of the people.