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           Syrians in Government-controlled Areas Vote for Parliament

   by VOA News

   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.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/syrians-in-government-controlled-area
   s-vote-for-parliament/3283584.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/syrians-in-government-controlled-areas-vote-for-parliament/3283584.html