Parliamentary Elections Begin In Syria
KABUL: (MEP) Parliamentary elections on Wednesday opened in areas of war-torn Syria against the backdrop of a generally-holding ceasefire by President Bashar al-Assad.
Polling stations opened at 7 am local time (0400 GMT) in areas under government control – about 1/3 of the country’s territory where about 60% of the population lives – and will remain open for 12 hours unless the electoral commission decides to extend the deadline “because of crowds”, SANA news agency reported.
More than 7,300 polling stations have been set up across the government-held regions in the country to gather votes. Syrian voters are electing members of the 250-seat parliament out of some 3,500 candidates.
The vote coincides with the beginning of a second round of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the 5-year conflict, with the future of Assad’s rule a key sticking point.
The election is expected to see his Baath party maintain control over parliament, although several parties are participating.
The last round of the UN-backed peace talks for Syria came to a halt on March 24 over disagreements on the role of Assad in Syria’s future.
