Counting Begins in Syrian Election Farce

This is from AlJazeera -- the ballot counting has begun in Syria. This is one of the biggest jokes in the middle east. The bastardization of democracy. Let's see now, we have had elections in Iraq, Iran, Palestine and now Syria... what a hot bed of personal freedom the middle east has become! Thomas Jefferson would be proud...

Al Jazeera English - News: "Counting is under way following Syria's parliamentary elections but opposition activists say there is little chance of a surprise.

A total of 167 seats in the 250-seat assembly are reserved for the ruling National Progressive Front (NPF) coalition, led by the Baath party of Bashar al-Assad, the president.

Banned opposition groups had urged their supporters to boycott the polls.

State-run newspapers reported 'massive participation' and 'fierce competition' during Sunday's polling, but an election official in the capital, Damascus, told the AFP news agency on Monday that turnout had been low.

In Syria's second city of Aleppo, 'candidates were disappointed by the low turnout,' the independent Al-Watan newspaper reported"

Little enthusiasm

The official SANA news agency said the vote had taken place "in total freedom and transparency", without giving turnout figures for the first day.

Journalists at the polling stations reported that there seemed to be little enthusiasm for the election in which nearly 12 million Syrians were eligible to vote.

"I don't really think anything is going to change, but I wanted to vote anyway," Inas Kokashsaid after casting his ballot on Monday...

Abdel-Azim said it was "pointless to take part in an election whose results are known in advance ... The NPF will come out the winner," as it has done in all organised elections since 1973. Read More...