Syria to hold parliamentary ballot in September, first elections since Assad's removal
Syria conflictFacebookTweetLink
Follow
Syria will hold parliamentary elections in September, the head of a body tasked with organizing the election process told state media Sunday.
Mohammed Taha al-Ahmad, chairman of the Higher Committee for People's Assembly Elections, told state news agency SANA that elections will take place between Sept. 15 and 20. They will be the first to take place under the country's new authorities after the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a lightning rebel offensive in December.
One third of the 210 seats will the appointed by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, with the rest to be elected.
In a recent interview with the Erem News site, another member of the elections committee, Hassan al-Daghim, said an electoral college will be set up in each of Syria's provinces to vote for the elected seats.
A temporary constitution signed by al-Sharaa in March called for a People's Committee to be set up to serve as an interim parliament until a permanent constitution is adopted and general elections held, a process that could take years.
The announcement of impending elections comes at a time when the country is increasingly divided in its views of the new authorities in Damascus after sectarian violence broke out in the southern province of Suwayda earlier this month. The fighting killed hundreds of people and threatened to unravel Syria's fragile postwar transition.
The violent clashes, which broke out two weeks ago, were sparked by tit-for-tat kidnappings between armed Bedouin clans and fighters from the Druze religious minority.
Syrian government forces intervened, ostensibly to end the fighting, but effectively sided with the clans. Some government fighters reportedly executed Druze civilians and burned and looted houses. Israel intervened, launching airstrikes on government forces and on the Defense Ministry headquarters. Israel said it was acting to defend the Druze minority.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
As Israel faces blame for the hunger crisis in Gaza, UN's own data shows most of its aid is looted
New data published last week by the U.n. agency UNOPS shows that most of its aid entering the war-torn Gaza Strip has been looted inside the Palestinian territory. UNOPS provides management services for the world body's own humanitarian operations. Despite this, condemnation of Israel over the hunger crisis in Gaza has been ramping up, prompting an increasing number of Western governments to declare intentions to recognize a Palestinian state as punishment, and leading some media outlets to totally tune out the role both international humanitarian organizations and Hamas, whose October 2023 mass terror attack in Israel started the nearly two-year-old war, have played in this catastrophe. "Nobody is able to have nuance in this conflict or hold multiple truths and that's part of why everybody from journalists to NGOs to U.N. officials, the pro-Palestine people, activists and advocates, parrot the same talking points that there's no aid theft and that everything is Israel's fault," Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told Fox News Digital. Us Report Urges Un Agency's Shutdown Over Hamas Ties, Oct 7 Terror Links Alkhatib, a Gaza-born American, said that while the U.N. and other NGOs were "playing politics" by ignoring their own failures so as not to jeopardize funding and because they are terrified of Hamas, Israeli leaders were also "exaggerating" claims about Hamas being the only ones to loot the aid. A close observer of events in Gaza, he described a chain of thievery and extreme price hikes perpetrated by civilians and merchants that have all contributed to the misery there. He added that statements by some Israeli government ministers about cutting off aid to force Gazans out of the territory have not helped either. Read On The Fox News App "Their statements have become the story under which nothing else will fit… no amount of evidence, no amount of clarification, no amount of nuance is going to come anywhere near to grabbing that much attention," Alkhatib said. Farhan Aziz Haq, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, confirmed to Fox News Digital that some aid had been stolen but said it was because so few supplies had entered Gaza in recent months that "people facing hunger have resorted to offloading supplies directly from our convoys," he said. "We understand the frustration, but let's be clear: this isn't our system. It's what happens when aid is squeezed through too few routes after months of deprivation," he claimed, adding "only a steady, reliable flow of aid and commercial supplies can restore people's belief that aid will arrive and allow for safe, orderly distributions," he claimed. Information posted on the website of UNOPS, the U.N. Office for Project Services, shows that around 87%, or 1,753 of the 2,013 aid trucks that entered Gaza since May 19 did not reach their final destinations, with the aid being stolen either "peacefully by hungry people or forcefully by armed actors." Israel Announces Immediate Resumption Of Gaza Aid Airdrops Amid Growing Hunger Crsis The data, which showed that a record 90 trucks carrying some 1,695 tons of aid were looted on May 31 alone, comes as shocking photos of emaciated Palestinian children – some of which were later proven to be children with pre-existing health conditions used as propaganda by Hamas – have gone viral. The revelations about the U.N.'s faulty aid system also come amid worldwide condemnation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a new U.S. and Israel-backed aid distribution mechanism, devised, in part, to prevent aid from falling into Hamas' hands. The U.N. has refused to cooperate with the GHF. The aid group announced on Sunday that it had delivered nearly 105 million meals to Gazans since it started operations in May. It also comes in sharp contrast to reports by some media outlets who chose to ignore evidence of Hamas stealing and reselling aid in order to fund its ongoing war – seemingly as a way to suggest that Israel is using starvation as a tactic of war or committing "genocide." Israel has emphatically denied both claims. A recent article in the New York Times even went as far as reporting that there was "no proof" that Hamas had stolen U.N. aid, despite countless documented accounts, including from freed Israeli hostages who reported seeing stockpiles of U.N.-branded products inside Hamas tunnels. Kobi Michael, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, said that not only did human rights organizations and many media outlets base their faulty reports on information published by Gaza's Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas, they also did not "take the nature of Hamas seriously." "Hamas is not the most reliable source in the world," he said, adding that "the international media and other sources do not consider the interests of Hamas, or its strategy, and they do not seem to acknowledge that Hamas wants a chaotic situation in the Gaza Strip. Hamas wants there to be many casualties among Palestinian civilians, because it serves their interests." Gaza Humanitarian Foundation: What To Know About The Us-backed Aid Group "Just to listen to what Hamas leaders have been saying since October 7," Michael continued. "They have promised to repeat October 7 again and again, they have called on the Arab world to join the armed resistance against Israel and on the Arab public to pressure their regimes. "They have also said publicly, and loudly, that they have no problem sacrificing another 100,000 Palestinian civilians for the sake of the victory," he said. Yet the GHF has faced scrutiny and blame for the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza amid daily reports by Hamas-backed bodies of civilian deaths at or near their aid distribution points and following chaotic images of people fighting over the food packages or sheltering from gunfire. The new agency has hit back, saying that Hamas, the U.N. and other international aid agencies, are just hoping the initiative fails so they can control all aid operations in Gaza. On Friday, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, together with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, visited southern Gaza to inspect one of GHF's aid distribution sites. "Went into Gaza today & observed humanitarian food program by U.S. launched GHF. Hamas hates GHF b/c it gets food to ppl w/o it being looted by Hamas. Over 100 MILLION meals served in 2 months," Huckabee wrote in a post on X. David Makovsky, director of the Koret Project on Arab-Israel Relations at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said blame for the crisis should not be placed on one party but that "by bringing the U.N.'s own records to bear we can level-set the conversation. "There is a whole debate about GHF, which will not be settled today," he noted. "Yet, in a humanitarian emergency crisis, feeding people should take absolute top priority and I think it is incumbent for the U.N. and GHF to work together to feed people. "I hope that by bringing in lots of food into Gaza you can help innocent suffering people and also dramatically bring down black market rates exploited by Hamas which they use to control their people," said article source: As Israel faces blame for the hunger crisis in Gaza, UN's own data shows most of its aid is looted Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
41 minutes ago
- USA Today
What happens next in the US court battle over Trump's tariffs?
What you need to know about the trade court dispute, which Trump has called "America's big case," and how it's likely to play out in the months ahead. WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - A federal appeals panel on July 31 appeared skeptical of President Donald Trump's argument that a 1977 law historically used for sanctioning enemies or freezing their assets gave him the power to impose tariffs. Regardless of how the court rules, the litigation is almost certainly headed to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here is what you need to know about the dispute, which Trump has called "America's big case," and how it is likely to play out in the months ahead. What is the case about? The litigation challenges the tariffs Trump imposed on a broad range of U.S. trading partners in April, as well as tariffs imposed in February against China, Canada and Mexico. It centers around Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), which gives the president the power to address "unusual and extraordinary" threats during national emergencies. Trump has said that trade imbalances, declining manufacturing power and the cross-border flow of drugs justified the tariffs under IEEPA. More: Trade court blocks President Trump's tariffs, ruling they exceed legal authority A dozen Democratic-led states and five small U.S. businesses challenging the tariffs argue that IEEPA does not cover tariffs and that the U.S. Constitution grants Congress, not the president, authority over tariffs and other taxes. A loss for Trump would also undermine the latest round of sweeping tariffs on dozens of countries that he unveiled late on July 31. More: Trump says trade deal with China is 'done;' aides tout 'framework' deal Trump has made tariffs a cornerstone of his economic plan, arguing they will promote domestic manufacturing and substitute for income taxes. What's the status of the litigation? The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard oral arguments on July 31 in the case. The panel of 11 judges sharply questioned the government about Trump's use of IEEPA, but did not rule from the bench. More: Trump fires head of labor statistics bureau after weak jobs report: Recap The Federal Circuit has not said when it will issue a decision, but its briefing schedule suggests it intends to move quickly. Meanwhile, the tariffs remain in effect after the Federal Circuit paused a lower court's ruling declaring them illegal. Will Trump's tariffs be blocked if he loses in court? A Federal Circuit ruling would almost certainly not end the litigation, as the losing party is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. More: How Trump's clash with the courts is brewing into an 'all-out war' If the Federal Circuit rules against Trump, the court could put its own ruling on hold while the government appeals to the Supreme Court. This approach would maintain the status quo and allow the nine justices to consider the matter more thoroughly. The justices themselves could also issue an "administrative stay" that would temporarily pause the Federal Circuit's decision while it considers a request from the Justice Department for more permanent relief. Is the Supreme Court likely to step in? The Supreme Court is not obligated to review every case appealed to it, but it is widely expected to weigh in on Trump's tariffs because of the weighty constitutional questions at the heart of the case. More: Import taxes down, markets up: World waits for Trump reaction to courts blocking tariffs If the Federal Circuit rules in the coming weeks, there is still time for the Supreme Court to add the case to its regular docket for the 2025-2026 term, which begins on October 6. The Supreme Court could rule before the end of the year, but that would require it to move quickly. How might the Supreme Court rule? There is no consensus among court-watchers about what the Supreme Court will do. Critics of Trump's tariffs are optimistic their side will win. They point to the Supreme Court's decision from 2023 that blocked President Joe Biden from forgiving student loan debt. In that ruling, the justices limited the authority of the executive branch to take action on issues of "vast economic and political significance" except where Congress has explicitly authorized the action. More: Trump erupts when asked about 'TACO trade' ― a new nickname mocking his tariff approach The justices in other cases, however, have endorsed a broad view of presidential power, especially when it comes to foreign affairs. Can importers seek refunds for tariffs paid? If Trump loses at the Supreme Court, importers are likely to seek refunds of tariffs already paid. This would be a lengthy process given the large number of anticipated claims. Federal regulations dictate that such requests would be first heard by U.S. Customs and Border Protection. If that agency denies a refund request, the importer can appeal to the Court of International Trade. More: Wait a bluegrass-pickin' minute: Canadians are making Old-Fashioneds without Kentucky bourbon? There is precedent for tariff refund requests being granted. Since May, CBP has been processing refunds to importers who inadvertently overpaid duties because of tariff "stacking" — where multiple overlapping tariffs are applied to the same imports. And in the 1990s, after the Court of International Trade struck down a tax on exporters that was being used to finance improvements to U.S. harbors, the court set up a process for issuing refunds. That decision was upheld by both the Federal Circuit and the Supreme Court. Would a courtroom defeat unravel Trump's trade deals? Trump has used the threat of emergency tariffs as leverage to secure concessions from trading partners. A loss at the Supreme Court would hamstring Trump in future negotiations. The White House, however, has other ways of imposing tariffs, like a 1962 law that allows the president to investigate imports that threaten national security. Trump has already used that law to put tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, and those levies are not at issue in the case before the Federal Circuit. Some legal experts say a loss for Trump at the Supreme Court would not impact bilateral trade agreements the U.S. has already inked with other countries. Others say that the trade deals alone might not provide sufficient legal authority for taxes on imports and may need to be approved by Congress.
Washington Post
42 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Egyptians begin voting in election to the nation's Senate
CAIRO — Egyptians on Monday began voting for candidates to the nation's Senate, a largely advisory body that helps a powerful lower body to review and pass laws. There were some 63 million people eligible to vote at over 8,000 polling stations across the nation of 116 million in northeastern Africa. Voting will continue through Tuesday.
