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A senior Ugandan official Wednesday defended the Internet blackout imposed ahead of elections, saying it was necessary to prevent riots and misinformation.The east African country goes to the polls today in a vote widely expected to secure President Yoweri Museveni his seventh term, due to his total control over state and security bodies.The authorities shut off access to the Internet on Tuesday, despite repeated promises not to do so, adding to fears of renewed repression and manipulation on election day.Presidential advisor Hajat Hadijah Namyalo Uzeiye defended the move, saying: "Internet creates wars, riots, misinformation."They had to shut down the Internet because of the misinformation from different stakeholders," she said.The UN human rights office said the shutdown — as well as a ruling this week to suspend 10 rights NGOs — was "deeply worrying".Uzeiye told AFP they expected a landmark win of "at least 70 percent" in the election."We are not ready for him to leave," she said.She rejected allegations from opposition leader Bobi Wine, analysts and rights groups that he is a military dictator who has violently repressed the opposition during his four-decade rule."I won't call it dictatorship," she said."What they are trying to portray to the world is the element of dictatorship without giving any version of the why, the who, the where, and the what." 

Benin voted Sunday in parliamentary and local elections, just one month after a failed coup plot shook the west African country and three months ahead of presidential polls.President Patrice Talon's ruling coalition is expected to strengthen its already powerful hand in the elections, with the main opposition Democrats party barred from the local polls.The elections come at a fraught moment for Benin, still reeling from a deadly coup attempt by army mutineers on December 7, which was put down by the military, with support from Nigeria and France.Talon, 67, who is nearing the end of his second five-year term, called on all voters to "do their duty" as he cast his ballot."Today is the beginning of a better life," he said.**media[403322]**The legislative elections will define the political landscape ahead of April's presidential polls, from which the opposition has also been struck from the ballot for failing to obtain the required number of signatures.Talon, who has served the constitutional two-term limit, is barred from running in April's elections.His hand-picked successor, Finance Minister Romuald Wadagni, is a strong favourite to win.Talon has presided over strong economic development across his nearly one decade in power, but critics accuse him of restricting political opposition and basic rights.**media[403323]**The single-round legislative polls will elect the 109 seats in the National Assembly, where Talon's three-party bloc hopes to strengthen its majority.The Democrats, only running in the parliamentary races, risk ceding ground to the ruling coalition, which currently holds 81 seats.Some observers say the opposition may lose all its 28 seats, given the current electoral law's tough requirement for parties to gather signatures from 20 percent of registered voters in each of the country's 24 voting districts to stand for parliament.The streets of economic capital Cotonou were calm as polling stations opened, AFP reporters said."I'm proud of the process and the organisation, and I hope everything goes well until the end," said craftsman Claude Somakpo.The campaign unfolded without large rallies, with most parties opting for grassroots strategies like door-to-door canvassing."All measures have been taken to guarantee a free, transparent and secure vote. No political ambition can justify violence or endanger national unity," the head of the electoral commission (CENA), Sacca Lafia, said Saturday. 

Guinea's junta chief Mamady Doumbouya, who had pledged not to run for office after seizing power four years ago, has a large lead in presidential elections held at the weekend, according to initial results published late Monday.Doumbouya, 41, faced eight rivals for the presidency but the main opposition leaders were barred from running and had urged a boycott of the vote.In standing, the general reneged on his initial vow not to run for office and to hand the mineral-rich but poor west African nation back to civilian rule by the end of 2024.He placed well ahead in districts of the capital Conakry, often winning more than 80%, according to official partial results read out on RTG public television by Djenabou Toure, head of the General Directorate of Elections.Doumbouya had a similar lead in several other areas, including Coyah, a town near Conakry, and in other parts of the country, such as Boffa and Fria in the west, Gaoual in the northwest, northern Koundara and Labe, and Nzerekore in the southeast.Turnout in Sunday's polls was 85%, Toure said.However, a citizens' movement calling for the return of civilian rule questioned the figure."A huge majority of Guineans chose to boycott the electoral charade," the National Front for the Defence of the Constitution said in a statement Monday.In September 2021, Doumbouya led a coup to topple Guinea's first freely elected president, Alpha Conde.He has cracked down on civil liberties and banned protests, while opponents have been arrested, put on trial or driven into exile.Candidate Abdoulaye Yero Balde denounced "serious irregularities", citing in a statement late Monday in particular the refusal to grant his representatives access to vote counting centres and "ballot stuffing" in some areas.Another candidate, Faya Millimono, complained of "electoral banditry" linked, he said, to influence exerted on voters.In late September, Guineans approved a new constitution in a referendum that permitted junta members to run for office, paving the way for Doumbouya's candidacy.It also lengthened presidential terms from five to seven years, renewable once.Opposition leader and former prime minister Cellou Dalein Diallo was one of three opposition leaders barred from standing by the new constitution.Diallo was excluded because he lives in exile and his primary residence is outside of Guinea.Former president Conde, whom Doumbouya overthrew in 2021, and ex-prime minister Sidya Toure, both of whom also live in exile, are over the maximum age limit of 80. 

Protesting students in Serbia swapped massive street demonstrations Sunday for a push to collect citizens' signatures, to gauge whether they had support to demand snap parliamentary elections.A wave of large-scale student-led protests has gripped Serbia since November 2024, after the collapse of a railway station roof killed 16 people in Novi Sad, the country's second-largest city.The tragedy at the newly renovated station became a symbol of entrenched corruption, with demands for a transparent investigation escalating into calls for early elections – which have so far been rejected by authorities."We are counting to get a rough idea of how many people support us," Jana, a first-year philosophy student, told AFP in Belgrade, while staffing one of nearly 500 stands nationwide.She declined to give her last name.After a more than a year of faculty blockades, protests drawing hundreds of thousands of people, and awareness-raising marches across the country, students were now engaging passers-by at the stands, collecting their signatures and contact details.For Branimir Jovancevic, 63, the new approach was more effective than organising a large rally."It is meant to show how many citizens in Serbia support calling elections," he said after giving his contact details to students in central Belgrade."Too much time has passed, and no one has been held accountable," said Eva Manojevic, 24.So far, three investigations have been launched into the fatal canopy collapse, but only one has resulted in an indictment confirmed by a court.However, the court ruled on Wednesday that there were no grounds to further prosecute the former construction minister who was suspected of a "serious crime against public safety".Nebojsa Vladisavljevic, a political science professor, saw the students entering "a new phase of mobilisation"."The goal is to turn the support gained through protests into votes and an electoral victory," he said.Vladisavljevic expected a new organisation to arise that would be able "to carry an election campaign" and eventually "take part in governing after the elections".The students said they would announce the survey results in the coming days.So far, the only indicator of the strength of the student movement has been the number of people attending protests and a handful of opinion polls.A September survey by independent election watchdog CRTA suggested that candidates backed by the student movement could secure 44% of the vote.The survey also found that nearly two-thirds of citizens, regardless of political affiliation, see snap elections as a way out of the crisis.However, a separate poll conducted the same month by Ipsos, which did not include a potential student-backed list, found that the ruling party would win 48% of the vote, virtually unchanged from its 2023 result.Public uproar over the Novi Sad disaster triggered the resignation of the prime minister and the collapse of the government earlier this year.However, a new cabinet was formed through a reshuffle, and President Aleksandar Vucic said elections would not be held before late 2026, accusing them of attempting to overthrow the government. 

The results of Guinea-Bissau's presidential and legislative elections are expected later this week, according to officials in the historically tumultuous west African country, who counted ballots for a second day Monday after deeming the vote "peaceful".Provisional results in the coup-prone nation are expected on Thursday, according to the National Electoral Commission's (CNE) deputy executive secretary Idrica Djalo.The compilation and counting of ballots, which began as soon as polling stations closed Sunday evening, continued on Monday, a CNE communications official told AFP.The Bissau campaign headquarters of the race's two main candidates, incumbent President Umaro Sissoco Embalo and opposition leader Fernando Dias, were quite Monday as the city's residents went about business as usual.On Sunday the CNE announced turnout just above 65%, noting that the figure was likely to rise before the final count. Turnout in the country's 2019 presidential election was 73%.The commission on Sunday also praised the "peaceful" nature of the vote across the country, noting "massive participation" by young people and women."No incidents that could have jeopardised the voting process were observed", Djalo said.Around 860,000 voters were eligible to choose between 12 presidential candidates, with stability a major issue given multiple political crises that have rocked Guinea-Bissau since independence from Portugal in 1974, including four coups, and many more putsch attempts.The elections took place with the main opposition party, the PAIGC, and its candidate, Domingos Simoes Pereira, blocked from running after turning in late applications.Voters additionally cast ballots for parliament's 102 members.Guinea-Bissau is among the world's poorest countries and is also a hub for drug trafficking between Latin America and Europe, a trade facilitated by the country's long history of political instability.

President Donald Trump isn't on the ballot in next November's midterm elections, but he’s plunging into them with his own presidency at stake. He's calling candidates, making early endorsements, shaping strategy and pushing economic messaging to try to keep Congress in Republican hands, according to nine Republicans involved in election strategy.As early as this summer, 18 months before Election Day 2026, Trump was urging Republican congressmen exploring Senate or gubernatorial runs to stand for reelection instead to avoid party primary fights, according to a White House official, a senior Trump adviser and a party operative.Such an early, hands-on involvement in midterm elections is unprecedented for a president in modern times."Presidents usually are wheeled into action later in the campaign season," said Bill Galston, who was a senior adviser in former Democratic President Bill Clinton's White House. "This is extremely unusual."Trump's urgency spiked after state and local elections on November 4 when exit polling showed voters punished Republicans over the rising cost of living. In multiple meetings immediately after the vote, Trump angrily told aides that Republicans should own the affordability message, the White House official told Reuters on condition of anonymity to discuss Trump's reaction. The president reminded his staff that he had returned to the White House on a promise to tackle inflation. Republicans should not cede ground to Democrats on the issue but highlight where his administration had succeeded in bringing down prices, said the official, who was briefed on the meetings.Trump "has been absolutely clear that affordability is the center of our economic agenda," the White House official said.Costs have continued to rise in the US, in part because of sweeping tariffs Trump has imposed on foreign imports. Trump scrapped some tariffs this month to reduce prices on beef, coffee, fruit and other groceries."He's definitely going to exert more pressure on the administration to move even quicker to provide policy solutions," the senior Trump adviser said.The White House official said Trump's involvement includes frequent check-ins with senior advisers, bursts of calls to political allies, and regular sessions where aides walk him through polling, fundraising numbers, and research on voter sentiment.Trump has seen his poll numbers slide in recent weeks, driven in part by voters' unhappiness with his handling of the economy. His approval rating has fallen to 38%, the lowest this year, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on November 18."The reality is, when a president is unpopular, he takes seats away from his party," said Doug Heye, a Republican strategist who has been a Trump critic.Trump got a reality check last week on his sway over Republican lawmakers when he was forced to reverse his opposition to releasing Justice Department files on Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted sex offender, after a rebellion by his supporters and House Republicans.Trump's poor approval ratings raise uncertainty about whether he can keep Republicans unified heading into the midterms if voter frustration over inflation and living costs persists. White House spokesperson Kush Desai said in a statement to Reuters that Trump has a strong record that he will continue to emphasize."This month alone President Trump has delivered yet another drug pricing deal, five new trade deals, record-breaking commercial and investment deals with Saudi Arabia, new stock market highs, and a blockbuster jobs report," Desai said.Trump wants party candidates to run on his package of tax cuts, which was passed in July by the Republican-controlled Congress, six Republican party operatives told Reuters. The aim is to impress on voters that they will receive bigger tax refunds from the Internal Revenue Service after they file their returns next April, putting more money in pockets and offsetting angst over rising prices.The One Big Beautiful Bill Act made permanent many tax cuts Trump passed in 2017 during his first term, including expanded tax credits for parents with children and extra deductions on state and local taxes.The overall average tax cut for an individual taxpayer will be $3,752 in 2026, according to an analysis of the bill by the Tax Foundation, a Washington-based nonpartisan nonprofit."People are going to get money back in their pocket in April because of the tax cuts," the Trump adviser said. "That hasn't connected to the electorate yet."Kyle Kondik, a nonpartisan elections analyst at the University of Virginia Center for Politics, said tax cuts may not be a winning issue for Republicans."The tax cuts don't necessarily mean that prices are lower. People are very pessimistic about the economy," Kondik said.For Trump, keeping Republican control of Congress next November is also about self-preservation, said a second White House aide. Republicans have narrow majorities in both the House and Senate. If they lose just one chamber, Democrats would likely be able to thwart much of Trump's agenda in the last two years of his presidency.Losing control of the House would also give Democrats the power to impeach Trump for a third time. House Democrats impeached Trump twice during his 2017-2021 term but on both occasions the Republican-controlled Senate did not vote to remove him from office. Nevertheless, the impeachment process consumes a presidency and can derail policy goals."This is as much about him (Trump) as it is about the future of the party," said one Republican operative focused on Senate races. "The Senate is the last line of defense before attacks on the president can move forward in terms of impeachment," she said.Trump and party operatives will be focused on turning out infrequent voters - a strategy that succeeded for Trump in the presidential election last year. "Republicans have to turn out non-midterm voters to be successful,” the Trump adviser said.In the summer, Trump spoke to three Republican congressmen - Bill Huizenga of Michigan, Zach Nunn of Iowa and Mike Lawler of New York - encouraging them to drop their bids for higher office and run again for their House seats, to lessen the risk of a Democratic takeover in the chamber, the White House official and Trump adviser said. All three have since announced they are running for reelection.A spokesman for Nunn sent a statement the congressman released on July 11, thanking Trump for his support and stating he will run again for his House seat. The offices of Huizenga and Lawler did not respond to a request for comment.Trump has already endorsed at least 16 Senate candidates including in close Senate races in North Carolina and Michigan, and at least 47 House candidates, an unusually large number this early in an election cycle, according to a lobbyist with close ties to the White House.Trump has said publicly he believes one reason his party did poorly in this month's elections was because he was not on the ballot.As a result, Trump will be front and center in the midterm campaign, hitting the trail to talk up his tax cuts. "President Trump’s hands-on engagement is a decisive advantage heading into 2026," Kiersten Pels, the Republican National Committee press secretary, said.Democrats relish the idea of a more visible Trump, saying he will help drive turnout among their party members."Every stop on his midterm campaign tour will remind them of how he has made life harder for everyday Americans," Kendall Witmer, a spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee, told Reuters.

Chileans are voting in a presidential election Sunday that's pitting the governing leftist coalition against an array of right-wing candidates and will also redefine the country's legislature. There are eight candidates in the race and none are expected to get the 50% plus one vote needed to win the election outright, likely triggering a run-off between the top two candidates on December 14.Chilean law bans opinion polls 15 days before elections but the last numbers showed Jeannette Jara, the governing coalition candidate from the Communist Party, in the lead, with far-right Jose Antonio Kast, from the Republican Party, in second.Experienced moderate-right politician Evelyn Matthei, a former mayor and senator, led early polls but dipped in recent months and has been trading third place with libertarian firebrand Johannes Kaiser from the National Libertarian Party.Polling stations around Santiago, mostly at schools, filled with orderly lines of voters in the morning hours.First-time voter Samanta Paredes, 30, in Santiago's historic downtown, said she hoped voting would proceed calmly and create a middle-road path for Chile."I hope a more centered person wins, that the extremes don't win, because they're never good for anyone," she said.Law graduate German Rojas, 33, also said he hoped the election could create a spirit of unity, rather than polarisation."I'm not clear if one option or another has a better chance. But I hope that whoever wins has the capacity that Chile needs."Polls are expected to close at 6pm, but will remain open if there are still voting lines. Initial results are expected quickly with a full count within hours.Crime and immigration have dominated the electoral agenda, a far cry from the wave of left-wing optimism and hopes of drafting a new constitution that brought current President Gabriel Boric, who isn't allowed to run for reelection, to power.Even as they left their local polling stations on Sunday, candidates nodded to pledges to fight crime."People who would like to go out to see friends or go to the movies don't dare to because of crime. We have too much to do," Matthei told reporters.Another shift from the previous election is a mandatory vote for the 15.7mn registered voters. The previous election saw an abstention rate of 53% in the first-round vote and the large amount of apathetic or undecided residents set to cast ballots adds a wild card to the race."It's an unprecedented scenario we haven't lived through and it's playing out in a presidential election," said Guillermo Holzmann, a political analyst from the University of Valparaiso, who added the vote would be very difficult to predict, adding that polls in Argentina, Bolivia and Ecuador failed to predict recent results."(New voters) don't think in terms of left, right or center, they think in terms of what changes are needed and what will benefit them," he said.Most of Congress is also up for grabs, with the entirety of the 155-member lower house and 23 of the country's 50 Senate seats in contention.The governing leftist coalition currently has a minority in both chambers and right-wing majorities in both could set the stage for Congress and the presidency to be controlled by the right for the first time since the end of the Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in 1990.

The Security Council extended the United Nations Support Mission in Libya's mandate for one year until October 31, 2026. Since August, the mission has been developing a 12- to 18-month roadmap to organize presidential and parliamentary elections. However, it missed the first milestone, which was scheduled for completion in October.According to the roadmap, the initial two months were dedicated to restructuring the high national elections commission in Libya, securing agreement between the House of Representatives and the State Council on electoral laws, and initiating the formation of a unified government.

Biya, 92, seeks eighth term in officeTchiroma says 'our victory is clear'Official results expected by October 26Cameroon opposition candidate Issa Tchiroma declared victory late on Monday in the country's October 12 presidential election, urging President Paul Biya to accept defeat and "honour the truth of the ballot box"."Our victory is clear. It must be respected," Tchiroma said in a speech on his Facebook page from his hometown of Garoua in the north of the Central African state. "The people have chosen. And this choice must be respected."Tchiroma, a former government spokesperson and employment minister in his late seventies, broke ranks with Biya earlier this year and mounted a campaign that drew large crowds and endorsements from a coalition of opposition parties and civic groups.Without naming Tchiroma, Biya's Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) on Tuesday condemned the self-declared victory as a "grotesque hoax," adding that only the Constitutional Council is enabled to proclaim results.It is "an inadmissible act in a state governed by the rule of law," CPDM spokesperson Jacques Fame Ndongo said in a statement.The Minister of Territorial Administration also criticized Tchiroma in a separate statement and promised to maintain public order and ensure the protection of people and their property during the electoral period.Biya, 92, the world's oldest serving head of state, is seeking an eighth term after 43 years in power. Analysts had expected his control over state institutions and a fragmented opposition to give him an edge in the election, despite growing public discontent over economic stagnation and insecurity.Tchiroma praised voters for defying intimidation and staying at polling stations late into the night to protect their ballots."I also thank candidates who have already sent me their congratulations and recognised the will of the people," Tchiroma said."We have placed the regime before its responsibilities: either it shows greatness by accepting the truth of the ballot box, or it chooses to plunge the country into turmoil that will leave an indelible scar in the heart of our nation," he warned.Cameroon's electoral law allows results to be published and posted at polling stations, but final tallies must be validated by the Constitutional Council, which has until October 26 to announce the outcome.Tchiroma said he would soon release a region-by-region breakdown of vote tallies compiled from publicly posted results."This victory is not that of one man, nor of one party. It is the victory of a people," he said.He also called on the military, security forces and government administrators to remain loyal to the "republic, not the regime".Minister of Territorial Administration Paul Atanga Nji warned over the weekend that any unilateral publication of results would be considered "high treason."Cameroon's single-round electoral system awards the presidency to the candidate with the most votes. More than 8 million people were registered to vote in the election.

Cameroonians voted Sunday in an election expected to return 92-year-old Paul Biya, the world's oldest serving head of state, to office after 43 years in power.AFP journalists saw voters crowding outside polling stations during the day in the capital Yaounde before they closed in the early evening, with an electoral official declaring the ballot had gone "calmly".Biya faced 11 opponents, including former employment minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 79, who generated unexpected enthusiasm among voters in the central African nation, where half the population is under 20.**media[367951]**Most of the eight million Cameroonians who were eligible to vote in the one-round election had only known one ruler in their lifetime.Biya has been in power since 1982 and has won every election in the past 20 years with more than 70 percent of the vote."Nothing is certain. Let's wait until we know the name of the elected official," Biya told reporters after he cast his ballot in the Bastos neighbourhood, near the presidential palace.**media[367953]**Cameroonian political scientist Stephane Akoa told AFP: "We shouldn't be naive. We know full well the ruling system has ample means at its disposal to get results in its favour."But he said that the campaign in recent days had been "much livelier" than was usually the case at that stage and "this poll is therefore more likely to throw up surprises."AFP reporters saw polling stations close at 1700 GMT. "Voting passed off calmly," an official from the national electoral authority, Jean-Alain Andzongo, told AFP at a voting station in the capital.**media[367949]**Biya kept his customary low profile during the campaign, appearing in public on Tuesday for the first time since May.He held a rally in Maroua in the strategic Far North region, which has 1.2 million eligible voters and makes up the second largest voting bloc in the country.For years, it was considered a Biya stronghold but several former allies from the area were this time running against him.The 11 rival candidates made numerous public appearances, each promising a new dawn for Cameroon.**media[367948]**In stark contrast to Biya, whose appearance attracted a sparse crowd of just a few hundred people, Bakary was welcomed in the streets of his home region by thousands of supporters waving placards that hailed "Tchiroma the Saviour".Bakary -- who resigned from the government in June to join the opposition after 20 years at Biya's side -- is the leading challenger after top opponent Maurice Kamto was barred from the race by the Constitutional Council.Rights groups including Human Rights Watch said that move undermined the credibility of the electoral process.Biya is only the second president Cameroon has had since independence from France in 1960.**media[367952]**Despite an abundance of natural and agricultural resources, around 40 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to World Bank figures for 2024, and unemployment stands at 35 percent in the major cities.Cameroonians complain about the high cost of living, a lack of clean drinking water, healthcare and quality education.Young people hunger for change, analyst Akoa said, but not yet to the point where they will take the risk of protesting en masse as in other countries in Africa and Asia over recent weeks."Many young people intend to vote," Akoa said. "There is a positive sign of change but perhaps not strong enough to bring young people out onto the streets, as we saw in Madagascar, Tunisia and elsewhere."The government authorised 55,000 local and international observers to monitor the vote, including representatives of the African Union.The Constitutional Council has until October 26 to announce the final results.But several internet platforms said they would compile results independently, drawing criticism from the government, which said they were attempting to manipulate public opinion.

Cameroon goes to the polls on Sunday to elect a new president, amid widespread expectations that incumbent President Paul Biya will secure another term, extending his rule that has spanned more than four decades. At 92 years old, Biya is the world's oldest head of state. He has governed the Central African nation since 1982, maintaining power through successive elections in which he has consistently defeated his challengers. According to the country's Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), more than eight million registered voters are expected to cast their ballots across the country in a single-day vote, with official results expected within about 15 days. The election is being held amid mounting calls from opposition parties and civil society groups to end Biya's decades-long tenure and to bring about political and economic reform in a country facing economic stagnation, as well as social and security tensions in some regions. In 2008, Biya oversaw the removal of presidential term limits, allowing him to run for re-election indefinitely — a move that consolidated his grip on power despite growing domestic and international appeals for a peaceful transfer of authority. ELECAM confirmed that twelve candidates are contesting the presidency. Among Biya's main rivals is Issa Tchiroma Bakary, 76, a former government spokesperson who has attracted large crowds during his campaign, calling for change and receiving backing from several opposition parties and civic groups seeking to present a united front. The government has pledged that the election will be conducted in a secure and transparent manner, amid heightened international scrutiny and calls for fairness in the process. Opposition figures, however, remain hopeful of a breakthrough that could reshape the country's political landscape and signal the beginning of a new chapter for Cameroon.

Chairman of Syria's Higher Committee for Elections Dr. Mohammed Taha Al Ahmad affirmed that the voting process for the People's Assembly elections is proceeding smoothly and in full accordance with the governing laws and regulations. In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Dr. Al Ahmad said that fifty polling stations have been set up across various Syrian governorates, all of which have witnessed a high voter turnout since the early morning hours. He noted that the electoral college members, numbering about 6,000 voters, represent administrative units, professional unions, and popular organizations from across the country. Dr. Al Ahmad emphasized that voting is being conducted in private booths to ensure voter confidentiality, adding that media outlets have been allowed access to cover the process. He noted that an appeals' committee has been formed to oversee and safeguard the integrity of the vote and to address any objections raised during the electoral process. He added that ballot counting will begin immediately after all members of the electoral bodies have cast their votes, provided that voter turnout reaches at least 80%. The final results will be announced once the judicial committees in the electoral districts complete their review. Earlier in the day, voting began across several Syrian governorates to elect members of the People's Assembly. Members of the electoral bodies cast their ballots to choose their representatives in the new assembly, under the supervision of the Higher Judicial Committee for Elections and in the presence of the candidates' representatives.