Syrians vote for first time in post-Assad era, but election will not be fully democratic

BEIRUT — Syria held parliamentary elections Sunday for the first time since the fall of the country’s longtime autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, who was unseated in 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. But in practice, the Assad-led Baath Party always dominated the parliament, and the elections were widely regarded as shams.

Outside election analysts said the only truly competitive part of the process came before Election Day — with the internal primary system in the Baath Party, when party members jockeyed for positions on the list.

The elections to be held Sunday, however, were not a fully democratic process, either. Most of the People’s Assembly seats were to be voted on by ele