The Syrian Future Movement is following with deep concern and condemnation reports from the city of Al-Bab in the eastern countryside of Aleppo regarding popular protests. These protests oppose the General Electricity Company’s decision to link the recharging of electricity meters to the payment of road-paving fees—a move that deprives citizens of their right to electricity unless they pay additional fees unrelated to energy consumption.
The Syrian Future Movement considers this measure—regardless of any administrative or financial justifications—to be a disguised increase in the burdens placed upon Syrian citizens, who are already suffering from declining purchasing power and rising prices for goods and services.
Linking an essential service like electricity to the payment of separate municipal fees constitutes administrative extortion that violates the principle of service separation; it compels citizens to pay for a service they neither requested nor consented to in this context.
The Syrian Future Movement reiterates the firm stance published on its official website regarding the “decision to raise electricity tariffs” (issued on October 30, 2025). At that time, the Movement warned that “the timing of this measure might not be optimal, particularly given the need to first bolster social support to avoid exacerbating pressures on the most vulnerable groups,” and emphasized that “while reforms in the electricity sector are essential for its sustainability, they must be balanced and mindful of social realities.”
The Syrian Future Movement views the linking of electricity recharging to road-paving fees as a direct manifestation of what it had previously warned against: imposing additional financial burdens on citizens without regard for their actual ability to pay. The Syrian Future Movement maintains that this practice contradicts the principle of separating fees from services—a well-established administrative and financial principle that prohibits linking a specific service to the settlement of unrelated debts.
Electricity is a fundamental right for citizens; it should not be used as leverage to collect other municipal fees, regardless of the legitimacy of those fees in principle. The Syrian Future Movement views this approach as a sign of failure in legitimate collection mechanisms and poor coordination among the relevant institutions, rather than relying on clear legal channels that uphold citizens’ dignity.
Acting on its national responsibility, the Syrian Future Movement makes the following recommendations:
First: Immediately decouple electricity top-ups from paving fees; require the electricity company and relevant authorities to cease this linkage at once; and ensure citizens have access to electricity without additional financial conditions unrelated to actual consumption.
Second: Adopt transparent and fair collection mechanisms for municipal service fees by restructuring the collection system for paving fees and other local charges. These should be collected through clear official channels, with installment options available for citizens unable to pay in full, while ensuring that essential services are not turned into tools of coercion.
Third: Expand the social safety net; any new financial measure must be accompanied by an expansion of social support programs, such as energy vouchers or direct financial compensation. Fourth: Enhancing transparency in the management of paving projects by publicly disclosing budgets, funding sources, and expenditure mechanisms, and by involving local councils and civil society in oversight to prevent any waste or corruption in the use of these funds.
Fifth: Conducting a comprehensive national dialogue—involving representatives from civil society, economic experts, and citizens—to review service-related policies and ensure equitable distribution, consistent with the proposal made in the previous statement regarding a “comprehensive national dialogue involving civil society representatives and economic experts.”
The Syrian Future Movement affirms that citizens’ right to electricity is a fundamental right that cannot be compromised or tied to other fees, regardless of the justifications offered.
We also reiterate that any service policy must be grounded in the principles of equity and transparency and must take into account citizens’ actual ability to pay, rather than becoming an additional burden that weighs them down amidst difficult economic conditions.
For its part, the Syrian Future Movement will continue to support measures that uphold citizens’ rights and dignity, while criticizing any actions that place an undue burden on them in the name of reform or service provision.
