Syria’s Higher Committee for People’s Assembly Elections announced on Saturday that parliamentary elections will not be held next month in Sweida, Hasaka, and Raqaa, citing security concerns.
The postponement is directly linked to recent developments in the majority-Druze province of Sweida, where Druze militias have announced they are merging under a new military structure, dubbed the “National Guard”—a move that marks a significant shift in Syria’s domestic political map.
This consolidation of power comes just weeks after deadly clashes in July left hundreds dead in fighting between Druze fighters, Sunni Bedouin tribes, and government forces.
This violence, which marked Syria’s second major sectarian bloodshed since the 2011 uprising, prompted the Druze spiritual leadership to call for direct international protection for the community in Syria. The first occurred in the Alawite-dominated coastal region, where sectarian killings in March left more than 1,000 dead.
The Druze, a religious minority whose adherents live primarily in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel, have long faced simmering tensions with Sunni tribes in the predominantly Druze Sweida over land and other resources.
In response, the presidency announced the formation of a committee to preserve “civil peace” and another to investigate the killings and hold those responsible accountable in court.
At the time, Israeli warplanes intervened to prevent what they described as a potential massacre of the Druze community by regime forces.
The decision to postpone the elections, a direct consequence of this volatility, leaves the future of political representation in the three provinces uncertain until a “secure environment” can be established, according to the state-run SANA news agency.
Electoral Committee spokesperson Nawar Najmeh told SANA that seats allocated to the three provinces will remain vacant until voting can be held there. “Elections are a sovereign matter and cannot be held except in areas under full government control,” Najmeh said.
Meanwhile, several local armed groups in Sweida have issued statements announcing their integration into a single military entity. The groups said the move is intended to form a “unified and disciplined force to protect the homeland and its people,” local outlet Sweida 24 reported.
A joint statement shared by the “National Guard Media Office” asserted that the factions fully endorsed the authority of the spiritual leadership of the Druze, referring to it as the legitimate representative of the community in the region.
“We declare our full integration into the National Guard, which we consider the official military institution representing the Druze community,” the statement read. The militias pledged to fulfill their defense duties and to coordinate with allied forces, vowing to “sacrifice all that is precious to protect the region.”
Sky News Arabia reported that the National Guard’s primary mission includes internal security, stabilizing towns and villages, and preventing criminal activity. It also includes patrolling border and desert regions to curb arms and drug smuggling, potentially in cooperation with regional and international actors.
The group also aims to create an institutional framework for military and security operations in Sweida, with the goal of eventual integration into a future Syrian state apparatus.
The July fighting marked Syria’s second major sectarian bloodshed since the 2011 uprising. The first occurred in the Alawite-dominated coastal region, where sectarian killings in March left more than 1,000 dead.
