Syrians went to the polls Sunday to elect a new parliament in the midst of a coronavirus outbreak and a deepening economic crisis, as President Bashar al-Assad attempts to strengthen his political grip on the country after nearly a decade of war. The tightly controlled vote is the third to take place in Syria since the conflict began in 2011 and is designed to confer a veneer of legitimacy on Mr. Assad, who last week marked two decades in office.

Source: Wall Street Journal July 19, 2020 17:48 UTC