ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Campaigning for Syria’s upcoming parliamentary elections officially began on Monday morning, a day after the electoral body closed candidate registrations, with more than 1,500 candidates throwing their hats in the ring to run for the country's legislature in the first elections since the fall of former leader Bashar al-Assad.

Mohammed Taha al-Ahmed, chairman of the Syrian electoral commission, told state media (SANA) on Monday that a total of 1,578 candidates will be running in the parliamentary elections across the country’s 50 constituencies, including 221 women, comprising 14 percent of the total number.

“The election campaign begins as of this morning and will end on Friday evening,” Ahmad noted.

The parliamentary elections are set to be held on Sunday, October 5, according to the official, with the electoral process involves several stages.

“The process begins with the Supreme Electoral Committee appointing subcommittees, which in turn select the electoral bodies responsible for accepting candidate applications. From these bodies, preliminary candidate lists are prepared,” according to SANA.

“Elections are held among the electoral body members, and ballots are cast through direct, secret voting,” with these local electoral colleges choosing representatives as opposed to the Syrian people directly.

The legislature will consist of 210 members, one-third of whom will be appointed by the country’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa, while the remaining 140 seats are to be selected by the local committees.