Syrians cast vote to pick new 250 member parliament | Japan Herald

Syrians cast vote to pick new 250 member parliament

Japan Herald Monday 7th May, 2012

• Syrian Opposition calls polls a sham

• First multi-party election in 50 years

• 7,000 candidates running for 250 seats in parliament

DAMASCUS - The Syrian government Monday held the first multi-party parliament elections in 50 years in what President Bashar al Assad's regime called political reforms but the opposition boycotted the polls calling the exercise a sham that was aimed to preserve the dictator rule.

The opposition said that the polls could not be enough to end a bloody internal conflict that has lasted more than a year and killed over 9,000 people, according to a UN count.

The voting for Syria's 250 member parliament was held three months after the government adopted a new constitution that allowed formation of multiple parties. It also limits president's tenure in office to two seven-year terms.''

Syria's Information Minister Adnan Mahmoud said voting was held in an atmosphere of "democracy and political pluralism".

There were seven parties in the fray following the government's initiated "reform process". The ruling Baath party is leading an alliance of National Progressive Front. Over 7,000 candidates are contesting in the country of 15 million eligible voters out of a population of 24 million.

The voting started at 7 in the morning as Syria's state run TV showed pictures of voters queuing up in front of polling booths to cast their ballots in large, plastic boxes.

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