Syrians in Government-controlled Areas Vote for Parliament

Syrians in government-controlled parts of the country are voting in parliamentary elections Wednesday as peace talks reconvene in Geneva.

Western leaders and Syrian opposition groups have criticized the elections as a sham and a threat to the peace talks and a tenuous six-week-old cease-fire.

Polling stations opened early Wednesday morning in the government-controlled areas, which make up about a third of the country's territory.

Observers expect the ruling Baath party to maintain its majority in parliament. Some 3,500 candidates are running for the 250 seats in parliament. Thousands more have dropped out of the race.

The UN-brokered talks in Geneva, meanwhile, resume Wednesday as the United Nations' envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, meets with opposition members and officials from the United States and other Western powers to reach a way to end Syria's civil war, which began in 2011.

The Syrian government says its representatives will join the talks on Friday, after elections are over.

Despite the cease-fire, violence has ticked upward in Syria in recent days. France, Iran, Russia, and the United States have all voiced concern over fighting near the city of Aleppo this week.
  [voanews.com] 
13/4/16
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