Syria goes to the polls for first time since Assad removal

Polling took place at Latakia’s Governor ballot station, in the coastal city of Latakia, Syria (AP)

Syria is holding parliamentary elections for the first time since the fall of the country’s autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated after a rebel offensive in December.

Under the 50-year rule of the Assad dynasty, Syria held regular elections in which all Syrian citizens could vote.