Over the past year, Deir Ezzor has experienced numerous rapid developments, most notably the intense fighting in August 2023 between armed tribal forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). These clashes resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of civilians, widespread security tensions, road blockades, and curfews. The clashes ultimately concluded with the SDF regaining control over towns that had temporarily fallen to the tribal forces. Following the restoration of relative stability, the Civil Administration in Deir Ezzor held a conference in October 2023 titled “Strengthening Security and Stability in Deir Ezzor,” attended by representatives from various bodies within the Autonomous Administration, the Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), tribal sheiks, local dignitaries, political parties, and civil society organizations. The conference produced a series of recommendations and decisions aimed at improving security, living conditions, and governance in Deir Ezzor, including a key decision to restructure the legislative and executive councils, municipalities, and the military council within six months.
Simultaneously, in October 2023, the Autonomous Administration in Northeast Syria issued an amended social contract, which serves as the constitution for its governance across various controlled areas. The revised social contract introduced several changes to the structures of Autonomous administration, including the reorganization of administrative divisions into seven different provinces, one of which is Deir Ezzor. Additionally, the amended contract included the restructuring and renaming of certain governance bodies within the Autonomous Administration, such as changing the Legislative Council to the House of Peoples and the Civil Council to the Executive Council.
Based on the outcomes of the Conference on Enhancing Security and Stability and within the framework of the new social contract, the opening session of the Legislative Council, now renamed the “House of Peoples in Deir Ezzor Province,” was held on April 3, 2024, During this session, Mr. Fayez Al-Baik and Ms. Rahaf Hassan Al-Raouj were elected as co-chairs of the Council, along with four deputies.
Despite the six-month deadline set by the Conference on Strengthening Security and Stability for completing the restructuring of local councils, including the Legislative and Executive Councils, these efforts remain in their early stages. So far, progress has been limited to the formation of the Legislative Council, the election of its co-chairs, and changes in the leadership of the Executive Council. However, this moment presents a valuable opportunity to analyze the restructuring process and identify areas for development and reform.
In this context, Justice for Life launched a communication project to leverage the ongoing changes and restructuring efforts. The project aims to foster in-depth dialogues with various community stakeholders on a range of topics. These discussions inform policy papers that analyze the current situation, identify obstacles and challenges, and offer practical recommendations to enhance the participatory, impactful, and sustainable nature of institutional restructuring and reform efforts.
This paper focuses on the House of Peoples in Deir Ezzor Province, previously known as the Legislative Council (referred to in this paper as the Legislative Council), and aims to:
- Examining the current state of the Legislative Council in Deir Ezzor, including the changes brought about by the restructuring process, and identify the shortcomings that this process aims to address.
- Assessing the role and effectiveness of the Legislative Council, comparing its actual performance with the intended role it is supposed to fulfill.
- Analyzing the challenges and obstacles that hinder the functioning of the Legislative Council and exploring the reasons for the discrepancies between its theoretical role and its practical implementation.
- Investigating the existing and potential opportunities and channels for enhancing community participation in the Council’s work and exploring possible strategies to activate and improve these avenues.
- Developing actionable recommendations to increase the efficiency and impact of the restructuring process and to strengthen the role and effectiveness of the Legislative Council.
Read more: The Legislative Council in Deir Ezzor Current Situation and the Prospects for Reform
