Syria to hold parliamentary polls in regime-held areas

As the Syria conflict enters its sixth year, the Bashar al-Assad regime has announced its intention to hold parliamentary polls on April 13 in regime-controlled parts of the country.

One of the candidates who will vie for a seat in the 250-seat assembly is Rami Makhlouf, a cousin of Assad, according to Damascus-based sources who preferred anonymity.

On the same day as the planned election, a fresh round of peace talks is slated to begin in Geneva between representatives of the Syrian regime and moderate opposition groups.

Speaking to reporters at the UN’s Geneva office last Thursday, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said the next round of talks should “lead to the beginning of genuine political transition”.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, more than 250,000 people have been killed in the war-ravaged country and more than 10 million displaced, according to UN figures.