Through the Recent Syrian Elections

Reportage

Has anyone ever seen adversaries gathering like peers, debating with serenity over matters equally dear to every one of them? Whoever has not seen it, let him go to one of the sessions of Syria's new parliament, which meets today for the first time in her history bringing together the representatives of all the doctrinal parties without exception: Communist, Nationalist, Populists, Baath Socialists, Nationals, and others... and then the Independents.

All of these, and many others besides, fought a battle of which much has been said in praise of its merits and its sweet omens, which point to at least three things: awareness on the part of the people, neutrality on the part of the government, and integrity on both sides... I can do no more than repeat a little of the much I have read in the papers, and of what every Syrian jealous for the national cause has told me — my position being that of every spectator watching the election from afar. I say from afar, because I was not among the candidates or their partisans, or the political observers, or the sorters of the ballot boxes; only those close at hand can bring forward what their own eyes saw, truthful proofs of how sound and honest the elections were.

What pleases one in them, besides, are certain sweet faces of democracy: the one that waived the financial deposit for a man who wished to enter the battle and saw in himself the competence to share in ordering the affairs of the state; and the one that notified companies and establishments that they must pay their workers' wages and allowances while the workers went off to cast their votes — so that when you saw a former President of the Republic — President al-Quwatli — waiting his turn at...