Syrian violence unabated on election day, 28 killed

Syria held parliamentary elections Monday despite the country's continuing violence, with conflicting reports about voter turnout and activists reporting 28 people killed, dpa reported.

Most of the restive areas that have seen regular protests against the government of President Bashar al-Assad announced their boycott of the parliamentary elections, with opposition groups describing the vote as an "insult to the democratic process."

According to independent observers in Damascus, election turnout was low. One observer, who requested anonymity, told dpa that he saw only five people voting at a polling station he observed in the capital.

Syrian state television showed people queuing in front of polling stations. Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Shaar said that voting took place in a peaceful atmosphere "with voting centres witnessing considerable turnout."

In a statement to journalists at the voting centre at the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister Adel Safar said the legislative elections "mark an important and historic stage in Syria, which is moving forward with the announced comprehensive reform programme despite all conspiracies to hinder the development process."

Election officials said more than 7,195 candidates - including 710 women - were competing for legislative seats.

The vote, initially scheduled for September, was postponed due to the uprising against al-Assad in which 9,000 people have died, according to UN estimates.

In the capital, polls opened early Monday amid a heavy presence of soldiers and police. A witness in Damascus said more than 100 army checkpoints were set up in areas inside the capital and near polling stations.

Some people at a polling station told dpa that government loyalists were demanding people vote for the "Baath lists," while others were paying students to vote.

Analysts and officials do not expect the vote for the 250-member People's Assembly - often ridiculed by Syrians as "the clapping parliament" because it agrees to every bill al-Assad proposes - to change the situation on the ground or cease the continued violence.

"Simply the faces will be changed, but the agenda will be the same," Lebanese analyst Saad Kiwan told dpa.

The vote came ahead of a Tuesday briefing by special envoy Kofi Annan on the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria.

Violence has continued to grip Syria, despite the presence of some 50 UN observers in charge of overseeing the shaky UN-brokered ceasefire which went into effect on April 12.

"Most of those killed on Monday were in Hama as Syrian troops shelled and stormed areas at the outskirts of the central province," Syrian activist Firas al-Hamawi told dpa.

Troops clashed with rebels in the central province of Hama, killing at least nine people, according to the opposition Local Coordination Committees, which document violence across Syria. The group said that two people were killed in shelling that targeted the northern province of Idlib.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said five blasts were heard in Idlib but that it so far had no reports of casualties.

The UN truce is part of Annan's peace plan, which calls for access to humanitarian services and talks between the government and the opposition.

The spokesman of the UN observing team, Neeraj Singh, told dpa that the UN teams were carrying on with their mission of monitoring the ceasefire, despite the elections process.

"Our team's main task is to halt the violence," he said, noting that more UN observers are scheduled to arrive next week in Syria.

In New York, Martin Nesirky, spokesman for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, said that the Syrian election for a new parliament was not part of a comprehensive and inclusive political dialogue for a democratic future of the country.

"These elections are not taking place within that framework," Nesirky said. "A democratic process cannot be successful while violence is still ongoing."