On May 24, the Kurdish-led autonomous administration in north and east Syria announced in a statement that it was shutting the land and maritime crossings with Syrian government-controlled areas to prevent residents from taking part in the presidential elections held May 26. The autonomous administration said only ambulances were allowed to go through the crossings. 

The decision was issued a few hours after the Syrian Democratic Council, the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced in a statement that it would not take part in the elections or facilitate them.

“The Syrian Democratic Council has repeatedly announced that it would not be involved in any elections that do not fulfill the Syrians’ goals related to their lives, rights and political presence, and that it would not facilitate any electoral process that violates the spirit of UN Security Council Resolution 2254,” the statement read. 

Riad Darar, the co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, told Basnews on May 19 that the Syrian government had asked Kurdish authorities to allow for the holding of the presidential elections in the areas under the control of the autonomous administration.