DAMASCUS: Syria is set to hold its first parliamentary elections on Sunday following the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, amid concerns over inclusivity and repeated delays.

There will be no direct vote for the 210-member People’s Assembly, which will legislate during a transitional period.

Instead, “electoral colleges” will select representatives for two-thirds of the seats, while Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa will appoint the remainder.

Assad, who ruled for 13 years, was ousted by Sharaa’s forces 10 months ago after a prolonged civil war.

Authorities announced that elections have been postponed in three provinces—Raqqa, Hassakeh, and Suweida—citing security concerns.

The two Kurdish-controlled regions and Suweida, where clashes between government troops and Druze militias in July turned deadly, remain unstable.

The violence marked the latest outbreak of sectarian conflict since Assad’s downfall.

At the UN General Assembly last week—marking the first Syrian presidential address in six decades—Sharaa vowed to prosecute those responsible for atrocities committed both during the war and under Assad’s rule.

He declared Syria was “rebuilding itself through establishing a new state, building institutions and laws that guarantee the rights of all without exception.”

The Higher Committee for the Syrian People’s Assembly Elections, appointed by Sharaa in June, is supervising the process.

Seat allocations are based on a 2010 census, taken before the war that left more than 600,000 dead and displaced 12 million.

With elections suspended in three provinces, electoral colleges in 50 of Syria’s 60 districts will vote on Sunday, choosing representatives for about 120 seats.