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Rising anger in Syria as electricity prices soar
In the suburbs of Damascus, frustration is mounting among residents following the Syrian government’s decision to sharply raise electricity prices, nearly a year after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad.
For Ghassan Aama, a blacksmith, the new tariffs are unbearable. “We were shocked when we heard that electricity prices would increase,” he said. “Our incomes are very low — if bills keep rising, we won’t be able to survive.”
At the end of October, the Ministry of Energy announced a new pricing structure that multiplies bills by up to 60 times. Many Syrians, still recovering from years of war, say they had hoped life would improve after Assad’s departure in December 2024, when an Islamist coalition took power, ending more than 13 years of civil conflict.
Like most households in the Damascus region, Aama must also pay for access to private generators, as power outages remain frequent and can last up to 20 hours a day.
The new authorities, while seeking to attract foreign investment and end the country’s long isolation, argue that the reforms are necessary to rebuild Syria’s shattered infrastructure, a task the World Bank estimates could cost over $216 billion.
According to economic analyst Jihad Yazigi, the move is part of a broader economic liberalization policy aimed at removing subsidies. “The Assad government was already liberal to some extent,” Yazigi explained. “Now the new authorities are pushing even further — even the price of bread is no longer subsidized.”
For Mohieddine Salam, a real estate agent in Damascus, the decision is devastating. “If my rent is $200 and my electricity bill is between $200 and $400, how am I supposed to live?” he asked.
Across the capital, resentment is rising. Street vendor Alaa Moussa, selling coffee and biscuits on the pavement, declared angrily: “No one will pay. No one has money. They should just cut off the power completely!”
Although the interim government, led by Ahmad al-Sharreh, has signed new investment deals — including a Qatari-backed gas project meant to boost electricity supply — the benefits have yet to reach ordinary Syrians.
According to the United Nations, 90% of Syrians live below the poverty line, and one in four is unemployed. Many, like Oum al-Zein, a 43-year-old mother who sells bread on the street, are struggling to survive. “I can barely pay my son’s university fees,” she said. “We get electricity for only an hour a day — this winter, we’ll have to keep warm under blankets.”
