Germany has expressed opposition to holding any elections in Syria at present, whether by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) or the People’s Assembly elections scheduled to be held by the regime in a few days.
The German envoy to Syria, Stefan Schneck, stated today, Wednesday, July 10, that Germany does not support holding elections in Syria at the moment, explaining that free and fair elections are an integral part of resolving the conflict and establishing peace in Syria, but the conditions are not yet ready.
According to what Schneck mentioned on “X,” Germany supports the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which calls for elections after the adoption of a new constitution, but urges all parties to facilitate a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned political process aimed at approving a new constitution and implementing Resolution 2254.
Holding elections in Syrian territory at this time will not push the political process forward but will instead entrench the long-standing status quo of conflict and division, according to the German envoy.
He also called on all parties to refrain from taking any steps that could threaten the prospects of reaching a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Syria and transitioning to power as called for by Resolution 2254.
The Autonomous Administration had previously announced in June that it would postpone the municipal elections it intended to hold in its controlled areas until next August, and the Syrian regime is scheduled to hold People’s Assembly elections on July 15.
Turkey strongly opposes holding elections in northeastern Syria, rejecting what it calls the “imposition of a new reality,” according to previous statements by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, while the United States sees that the time is not ripe for holding free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections in northeastern Syria.
In a briefing to the UN Security Council at the end of last May, the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, referred to the People’s Assembly elections in regime-controlled areas and the municipal elections in northeastern Syria, clarifying that they are not a substitute for an inclusive political process leading to a new Syrian constitution agreed upon in accordance with the provisions of Resolution 2254.