DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria held its first municipal elections since 2011 on Sunday, amid tensions with the country’s self-administered Kurdish region, which refused to allow polls. The Baath party, which has controlled Syria’s political and security apparatuses since the 1960s, was expected to sweep the elections. The region is governed by its own Syrian Democratic Council, which refused to allow the Damascus-organized elections to proceed on its territory. The administration held local elections in 2017. Presidential elections were held in 2014 in limited areas of government control.

Source: National Post September 16, 2018 10:14 UTC