Middle East: Syria conflict: West criticises Assad election plan

The US has dismissed a Syrian plan to hold a presidential election on 3 June as a "parody of democracy".

UN chief Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plan, saying it could torpedo efforts to broker a deal to end the three-year civil war, which has killed 150,000.

Government forces have made gains recently, but rebels still control vast territories. It is unlikely that voting would be held in those areas
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President Bashar al-Assad is expected to seek a third seven-year term.

The government recently framed an election law that stipulated all candidates must have lived in Syria for the past 10 years.

Read more: BBC News - Syria conflict: West criticises Assad election plan