Syria coalition wins majority of parliament seats

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The ruling coalition took an overwhelming majority of seats in Syria's parliamentary elections, which were boycotted by the opposition as a farce, according to results announced Thursday. Interior Minister Bassam Abdel-Majid said the National Progressive Front, an umbrella of 10 political parties led by the Baath Party, won 172 seats or 68.8 percent of the 250-member parliament in the tightly controlled elections on Sunday and Monday. Voter turnout was 56 percent, Abdel-Majid told a news conference Thursday. There had never been any doubt about the outcome as the constitution guarantees the Baath Party and its allies a two-thirds majority in the parliament.