Free and fair elections must take place
<
(4 of 4)
The electoral race must be observed by the UN
The elections must be free from electoral fraud and rigging ultimately allowing the Syrian’s to vote for their future government, which is why it is important that the UN observes the running of these elections to prevent any further corruption.
<
(2 of 3)
Next argument >
The Argument
Current Syrian elections are from fair or free. Government pressure and corruption make voting only an illusion of choice for Syrian citizens and a poor illusion at that. Thousands of Syrians have been detained or killed for expressing dissent against the Assad regime; to vote for anyone other than Assad would be volunteering a reason to be jailed or killed. Not voting at all in the election causes issues with Syrian citizenry, removing abstaining as a viable option as well.[1] In essence, the Syrian election consists of the single choice of the continuation of the Assad regime. This not only prevents elections from being fair and Syria from becoming a peaceful democracy, but gives credit to those backing the regime (such as Russia and Iran) because the Syrian people are "choosing" Assad.
The only viable path to a peaceful Syria is if elections take place in which the different Syrian parties can choose how they want their country to be run. With the current corruption in place, this is far from the case. If the UN were to closely monitor elections and the corresponding processes, it would prevent the Syrian government from punishing citizens for dissenting votes. The UN observing the process is the best option toward free elections in Syria and the ending of the conflict.[2]
Counter arguments
Fair elections won't necessarily stop the conflict in Syria. The conflict in Syria is borne of the divisions between competing political, ethnic, and religious interests. Even under a free election, not all these groups will achieve their wants or needs. The majority will get what they want, but the minority will still feel unheard and frustrated. Although fair elections are important, they won't solve the issues in Syria and the minority groups will still cause conflicts. A focused plan to address the needs of all parties is more essential to peace than free elections are.
Proponents
Premises
[P1] Fair elections are critical to ending the Syrian conflict.
[P2] Current Syrian elections are corrupt and unfair.
[P3] The UN monitoring the elections would make them fair.
[P4] UN monitoring of Syrian elections will help end the conflict.
Rejecting the premises
[Rejecting P1] Free elections cannot solve the conflict on their own.