Assad holds parliamentary election as Syrian peace talks resume
Syrians voted in a parliamentary election in government-held areas of the country on April 13 in what they called a show of support for President Bashar al-Assad, while his opponents and Western powers denounced the poll as illegitimate.
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The election went ahead independently of a UN-led peace process aimed at ending the five-year-long war. A second round of talks began in Geneva on April 13 but an upsurge in fighting has darkened the already bleak outlook for diplomacy.
The government said the vote was held to comply with the constitution, a view echoed by its Russian allies.
The opposition, which wants the new peace talks to focus on a political transition, said the election was meaningless, while Britain and France called it a "flimsy facade" and a "sham".
Voters were electing 250 MPs to parliament, which has no real power in Syria's presidential system. The state rallied them with the slogan "Your vote strengthens your steadfastness".
