Syrians furious at huge hike in electricity prices

DAMASCUS

In his workshop near the Syrian capital, blacksmith Ghassan Aama cannot fathom the massive hike in electricity prices even as much of the country continues to face power cuts.

The energy ministry hiked prices by up to 6,000 percent last month, sending shockwaves through a population already reeling from decades of sanctions and 14 years of war.

"We were surprised to see electricity prices rise, as our income is limited," said Aama.

"If the bills are high, we might not be able to make ends meet," he added.

Aama already pays a subscription to a private generator so he can run his workshop -- a common practice in a country whose electricity sector has been ravaged by civil war, with power cuts lasting up to 20 hours a day.

Since the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December, Syria has slowly begun to emerge from decades of political and economic isolation.

The new rulers of Syria are hoping to attract funding and investments for reconstruction, which the World Bank estimated could cost more than $216 billion.

The government's decision to hike tariffs is part of a policy of liberalization that the government seems to have adopted at the start of the year, said Jihad Yazigi, editor of economic publication The Syria Report.

"What they are doing, basically, is just trying to cut costs and to remove subsidies," he added.

Contrary to what Assad claimed, the Syrian economy was "obviously not a socialist economy," Yazigi said.

It was "relatively liberal... and here (they) are liberalizing further," he said, as they also lifted subsidies on bread earlier this year.

But having borne the brunt of the country's crippled economy for years, Syrians are struggling to accept yet another blow.

"After liberation, we expected people to return and reconstruction to take place quickly," said Muhieddine Salam, a real estate agent.

"Now, if rent is $200 and the electricity tariff is between $200 and $400, what will I do?"

Syria previously announced major investment agreements with countries in the region to rebuild infrastructure.

It also announced major agreements with Qatar and Türkiye to supply it with gas for electricity production.

But these projects have yet to make a dent in the daily lives of Syrians.

Nine out of 10 people in the country live in poverty, and one in four is unemployed, according to the United Nations.