Kurds Opt out of First Local Elections in Syria Since 2011

Syria held its first municipal elections since 2011 on Sunday, amid tensions with the country's self-administered Kurdish region, which refused to allow polls. Turnout was modest at stations in the Syrian capital and candidates aligned with the ruling Baath party were expected to win. The Baath party has controlled Syria's political and security apparatuses since the 1960s. Hassan Taraqji, a Baath candidate in Damascus, said reconstruction was a top priority for voters after...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - dimanche 16 septembre 2018