The National Coalition for Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces announced Nov. 20 the formation of a national elections commission. In a statement it issued on that day, the opposition coalition explained that the commission will be tasked with preparing for the parliamentary elections during the transitional phase and beyond.

These tasks include, as per the statement, holding a referendum on the draft constitution, raising political awareness for all segments of the Syrian people, promoting the legitimacy of the Syrian opposition and revolution forces, and finding a mechanism that guarantees the broadest participation of Syrians in Syria and abroad in the elections.

The coalition’s decision to form an elections commission stirred controversy. A large segment of the Syrian opposition criticized this step, saying it aimed to legalize the perpetuation of and normalize Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Against the backdrop of this controversy, the coalition halted the formation of the national elections commission. In a statement it issued Nov. 23, it argued that it is backtracking on its previous decision in order to conduct further consultations with the revolutionary and political forces to reach an appropriate formula.