Syria delays parliamentary vote in Sweida after sectarian violence

DRUZE (Reuters) : Syria’s first parliamentary election under its new Islamist administration, scheduled for September, will not include the southern province of Sweida and two other provinces because of security concerns, the electoral commission said on Saturday.

Hundreds of people were reported killed in July in clashes in Sweida province pitting Druze fighters against Sunni Bedouin tribes and government forces.

Israel intervened with airstrikes to prevent what it said were mass killings of Druze by government forces.

The Druze are a minority offshoot of Islam with followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. Sweida province is predominantly Druze but is also home to Sunni tribes, and the communities have had longstanding tensions over land and other resources.

The Higher Committee for People’s Assembly Elections said the ballot would also be delayed in the northern provinces of Hasaka and Raqqa until a “safe environment” is in place, according to state news agency SANA.

Seats allocated to the three provinces will remain vacant until elections can be held there, commission spokesperson Nawar Najmeh told SANA.

“The elections are a sovereign matter that can only be conducted in areas fully under government control,” he added.

The head of the electoral commission said last month that voting for the 210-member People’s Assembly was due to take place between September 15 and 20.