Syrians Vote In Parliamentary Elections

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Syrians voted on Sunday in a tightly controlled election certain to maintain the ruling Baath Party's domination of parliament.

Turnout was low, candidates and witnesses said. The government extended voting until Monday.

The assembly, called the Council of the People, is elected every four years and has little say over policy. Syria has been under emergency law for four decades and no opposition parties are allowed.

The Baath, which has ruled Syria since 1963, controls all divisions of government. Power firmly rests in the hands of President Bashar al-Assad, who succeeded his late father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

A majority in the 250-seat assembly is effectively reserved for the Baath and its allies. Almost all of the 2,400 candidates have been vetted and approved by the government.

Witnesses said few people, other than government workers, cast a ballot.

In Damascus, where government-backed lists include well-connected businessmen and religious leaders, ballot boxes at seven polling stations were largely empty.

"I voted for the Baath front because they're the ones with some power who can help me practically," said Ahmad al-Hafi, a government school teacher.

Dissidents, a number of whom have been imprisoned or forced into exile in the last two years, have boycotted the polls, dismissing it as a sham.

"We have no confidence we could compete freely," said Hassan Abdel Azim of the National Democratic Coalition.

The Interior Ministry said it had distributed 7.6 million election cards that entitled its holders to vote among a population of 19 million.

Even pro-government candidates criticised management of the elections, saying officials and security forces stationed around the polls were preventing people from voting freely.

"They are directing voters to cast their ballot to their favourite candidates. The same people are voting with five IDs. This election has no credibility," said Mohammad al-Abboud, a farmer running for a seat in the eastern province of Hasakeh.

"They are fooling the people and trying to convince them these are real elections," said Jawhara al-Ghanem, a female candidate. "I am still in the race, but I know of several candidates who withdrew." (Reuters)