"I believe that most of the true political opposition to Assad, which is not Islamist, is favorable to such elections. We met during our recent trip to Syria MPs who were not belonging to Assad's majority and we heard they were wishing to play their democratic role," Nicolas Dhuicq, a member of the French lawmakers' delegation that visited Damascus at the end of March, said.
Dhuicq added that Wednesday’s vote in Syria is a "symbolic gesture in a country at war after five years of slaughter, especially when al-Nusra is gaining strength around Aleppo."
The current parliamentary elections are the second held in the country since the beginning of the civil war in 2011. The previous parliamentary elections were held in May 2012, with voter turnout exceeding 51 percent, which is equal to some five million people, according to Syria's electoral committee.
