European Document Rejects 2021 Syrian Presidential Elections

Damascus is set to hold the elections in mid-2021 based on the 2012 constitution. (Reuters)
Damascus is set to hold the elections in mid-2021 based on the 2012 constitution. (Reuters)
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European Document Rejects 2021 Syrian Presidential Elections

Damascus is set to hold the elections in mid-2021 based on the 2012 constitution. (Reuters)
Damascus is set to hold the elections in mid-2021 based on the 2012 constitution. (Reuters)

European countries have kicked off a drive to approve a document, submitted by France, that rejects “any presidential elections not based on United Nations Security Council resolution 2254.”

Damascus is set to hold the elections in mid-2021 based on the 2012 constitution. President Bashar Assad’s reelection is all but secured. His allies, Moscow and Tehran, already support the elections, with Russia hoping that they will mark a “turning point” that would end Damascus’ isolation. It is hoping that they would pave the way for Arab and European countries to restore diplomatic and political ties with Syria, help in its reconstruction and acknowledge the legitimacy of the polls.

Guaranteed win
UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen was informed that the elections and the proceedings of the Constitutional Committee were not connected. The committee is tasked with drafting a new constitution, which should ideally be ratified after the elections.

There were hopes that the new constitution would have been drafted before the polls so that they would be held according to, but the committee has failed to make any significant progress in five rounds of talks, the last of which took place earlier this year. Pedersen himself acknowledged the failure after the last round, indirectly pinning blame on the regime.

Holding the elections according to the 2012 constitution allows Assad to comfortably win a third seven-year term in office. Nominees need to have continuously resided in Syria for ten years. Their candidacy must also be approved by 35 members of parliament.

Moscow has implied that reforms to these conditions could be approved during the 2024 parliamentary elections. The ruling Baath had swept the 2020 elections, effectively meaning that the fate of any presidential candidate lies in its hands.

No figure has submitted their nomination for the presidential elections, but some media campaigns have started to hit the ground in government-held areas. Reports have said that efforts are underway to reach an understanding with the Kurdish autonomous authority in the region east of the Euphrates to set up polling stations there. The authority controls about a quarter of Syrian territory.

It is unlikely that polling stations will be set up in the northeastern opposition-held Idlib province, the north and neighboring countries hosting refugees, such as Turkey and Jordan, with the exception of Lebanon.

Western countries have criticized Russia for suggesting that the presidential elections and Constitutional Committee talks should be separated, saying that will only harm the political process. Western countries have previously rejected the 2012, 2016 and 2020 parliamentary polls and the 2014 presidential ones.

Rejection of elections
Representatives of European countries have already started to hold meetings to approve the “French document” to take a united stance over the presidential elections.

Asharq Al-Awsat obtained a copy of the document, which calls for reviving the UN mediation that has been inactive for three years. The mediation should breathe new political life and help reinvolve the Syrian people, inside and outside the country, in the political process.

It expressed opposition to attempts by the regime and its allies to declare an end to the crisis by holding “fraudulent” elections in 2021. It slammed the authorities for failing to commit to the political process outlined in resolution 2254 and for failing to directly address the root causes of the crisis.

It expressed concern that the upcoming elections would be held based on a constitution and laws that grant the regime sole power. It warned that the elections would be exploited by the regime and its backers to unilaterally declare an end to the crisis while failing to commit to anything that meets the aspirations of the people. Moreover, it warned that the elections will discourage refugees from returning home.

The document said European countries have felt the direct impact of the Syrian crisis, both on the level of security and with migrants. They are therefore, greatly invested in preventing the political process from veering off its right course. They called for holding transparent elections based on resolution 2254, which will effectively help resolve the crisis, not deepen it.

It is obvious such transparent elections will not be held any time soon, the document lamented.

Any elections that are not held according to the resolution cannot help end the crisis, rather they will only undermine efforts to reach a real sustainable political settlement, continued the document.

It cited Pedersen’s remarks that a political settlement in line with resolution 2254 is not viable without holding free and transparent presidential elections.

The document proposed four working steps: Guaranteeing that refugees inside and outside Syria take part in the voting process; implementing confidence-building measures and finding a neutral and safe environment to hold the polls; preparing the legal conditions to stage the elections; allowing the UN to oversee the voting process and securing the greatest level of impartiality.

EU position
Members of the European Union are expected to approve the document when they meet on March 15 to mark the tenth anniversary of the conflict. They are set to push for increasing the UN’s jurisdiction and bolster Arab contribution in the Syrian elections, explaining that the Arabs are a main element in resolving the crisis.

Neighboring countries will be encouraged to cooperate with Pedersen to help stage the elections for Syrian refugees. The Syrian diaspora, civil society and opposition should be supported to allow them to clearly express their demands over the presidential elections. The document suggested that efforts should be launched to hold future elections based on resolution 2254 and in a way that allows expatriates to vote without having to receive prior approval from the official Syrian authorities.

Western-approved elections would follow four rules: Strict guarantees that allow refugees and the displaced to take part in the voting; confidence-building measures that would create a secure and impartial environment for voters; preparing the legal ground for a plurality vote; allowing the UN to oversee the polls to ensure their utmost transparency.

Pedersen has refused to be involved in preparations to hold the presidential elections, saying they were beyond his jurisdiction.



What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
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What to Know About the Flash Floods in Texas That Killed over 100 People

 Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)
Firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico, transport a recovered body on the flooded Guadalupe River days after a flash flood swept through the area, Monday, July 7, 2025, in Ingram, Texas. (AP)

Flash floods in Texas killed at least 100 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others still missing, including girls attending a summer camp. The devastation along the Guadalupe River, outside of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as officials face questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions.

Here's what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it in and around Kerr County, Texas, and ongoing efforts to identify victims.

Massive rain hit at just the wrong time, in a flood-prone place

The floods grew to their worst at the midpoint of a long holiday weekend when many people were asleep.

The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. Friday's flash floods started with a particularly bad storm that dropped most of its 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the dark early morning hours.

After a flood watch notice midday Thursday, the National Weather Service office issued an urgent warning around 4 a.m. that raised the potential of catastrophic damage and a severe threat to human life. By at least 5:20 a.m., some in the Kerrville City area say water levels were getting alarmingly high. The massive rain flowing down hills sent rushing water into the Guadalupe River, causing it to rise 26 feet (8 meters) in just 45 minutes.

Death toll is expected to rise and the number of missing is uncertain

In Kerr County, home to youth camps in the Texas Hill Country, searchers have found the bodies of 75 people, including 27 children, Sheriff Larry Leitha said Monday morning. Fatalities in nearby counties brought the total number of deaths to 94 as of Monday afternoon.

Ten girls and a counselor were still unaccounted for at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along the river.

For past campers, the tragedy turned happy memories into grief.

Beyond the Camp Mystic campers unaccounted for, the number of missing from other nearby campgrounds and across the region had not been released.

Gov. Greg Abbott on Sunday had said that there were 41 people confirmed to be unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing.

Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice said during a Monday news conference he couldn't give an estimate of the number of people still missing, only saying “it is a lot.”

Officials face scrutiny over flash flood warnings

Survivors have described the floods as a “pitch black wall of death” and said they received no emergency warnings.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that “nobody saw this coming.” Officials have referred to it as a “100-year-flood,” meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record.

And records behind those statistics don’t always account for human-caused climate change. Though it’s hard to connect specific storms to a warming planet so soon after they occur, meteorologists say that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture and allow severe storms to dump even more rain.

Additionally, officials have come under scrutiny about why residents and youth summer camps along the river were not alerted sooner than 4 a.m. or told to evacuate.

Rice said Monday that he did not immediately know if there had been any communication between law enforcement and the summer camps between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. on Friday. But Rice said various factors, including spotty cell service in some of the more isolated areas of Kerr County and cell towers that might have gone out of service during the weather, could have hindered communication.

Rice said officials want to finish the search and rescue and then review possible issues with cell towers, radios and emergency alerts.

Officials noted that the public can grow weary from too many flooding alerts or forecasts that turn out to be minor.

Kerr county officials said they had presented a proposal for a more robust flood warning system, similar to a tornado warning system, but that members of the public reeled at the cost.

Monumental clearing and rebuilding effort

The flash floods have erased campgrounds and torn homes from their foundations.

"It’s going to be a long time before we’re ever able to clean it up, much less rebuild it," Kelly said Saturday after surveying the destruction from a helicopter.

Other massive flooding events have driven residents and business owners to give up, including in areas struck last year by Hurricane Helene.

President Donald Trump said he would likely visit the flood zone on Friday.

AP photographers have captured the scale of the destruction, and one of Texas' largest rescue and recovery efforts.