In the first elections since the Assad regime was ousted, there was no popular vote and women and minorities won few seats. Still, many Syrians saw it as progress toward ending authoritarian rule.

Three provinces will not be included "for security reasons", amid concerns over how representative the polls will be.

DAMASCUS: Members of local committees in Syria began on Sunday selecting members of a transitional parliament, in a process criticized as undemocratic, with a third of the members…