US criticizes conditions for elections in northern and eastern Syria

Shafaq News/ On Friday, the US Department of State stated that the conditions necessary for holding "free, fair, transparent, and inclusive" elections in Syria, including its northern and eastern regions, are not currently met.

In a statement by spokesperson Matthew Miller, the US expressed its opposition to the recent announcement by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which called for the High Election Committee to begin preparations for municipal elections.

The statement emphasized that "the US has consistently advocated for any elections in Syria to be conducted with freedom, integrity, transparency, and inclusivity, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254."

Initially, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria had announced plans to hold municipal elections in June in areas under its control in Aleppo, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor, and Hasakah. However, it later postponed the elections to last month "in response to requests from participating political parties and alliances," and eventually announced an indefinite delay.

The announcement of the planned municipal elections sparked criticism from Turkiye, its staunch opponent, and dissatisfaction from Washington, which is a major supporter of the administration.

This would not be the first election held by the Autonomous Administration in recent years, but it is the first that was supposed to cover all its controlled areas. In 2015, municipal council elections were limited to the Jazira region (Hasakah), and in 2017, to only three regions.

The Kurdish Autonomous Administration controls vast areas in northern and eastern Syria, while Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other less influential factions control areas in Idlib (northwest) and its surroundings. Turkish-backed factions and Turkish forces are also spread across a wide border strip in the northern part of the country.