MOSCOW. July 22 (Interfax) - Low voter turnout in the parliamentary elections in Syria on July 19 can be explained by the epidemiological situation in the country and the fact that people are tired of the war and sanctions, Russian State Duma deputy Dmitry Sablin, coordinator of the Duma's group for ties with the Syrian parliament, said on Wednesday.
"The results of the elections to the Syrian People's Council have been tallied. The National Unity bloc comprised of members of the Ba'ath party and its allies has won 183 of the 250 parliamentary mandates. The remaining 67 mandates belong to unaffiliated legislators," Sablin told Interfax on Wednesday.
A number of media outlets incorrectly reported that National Unity gained 177 mandates, he said.
"The lower turnout compared to previous wartime elections is particularly noteworthy. Certainly, the difficult epidemiological situation played a substantial role. However, a lot of Syrians have also said that the people are tired of the war that has lasted for nearly ten years, of terrorist attacks, casualties, and the hard economic situation, which stifling Western sanctions make even worse," Sablin said.
"The elected parliament, which includes numerous young people, among them those who have defended their homeland with weapons in hand, will be actively involved in this work," he said.
"After military victories, people need victories in the country's reconstruction. Russia will stand by Syria during this time," Sablin said.
Syria held elections to the People's Council on Sunday. More than 1,600 candidates were competing for parliamentary mandates.
The Syrian parliament has 250 members. In line with the Syrian Constitution, parliament members are elected by direct secret ballot once every four years. The elections were initially scheduled for April, but were then postponed to July over the coronavirus pandemic.
Following the 2016 elections, the majority of the 200 mandates in the Syrian parliament belonged to the National Progressive Front led by the Ba'ath party.