The elections are due to last until 22:00 pm , and then vote-counting would start in attendance of the candidates, according to State news agecy SANA.

Nine parties have been created, and seven have candidates vying for a parliamentary seat.

 Pro-regime parties led by the Baath are represented under a coalition called the National Progressive Front while a total of 7,195 candidates have registered to stand for the 250 seats.

The elections were originally set to take place on September 2011, but were postponed for six months after President Bashar al-Assad announced the launch of a reform process.

“The political parties, trends and powers and independent candidates are taking part in the elections with electoral rolls, alliances or independently under a judicial supervision that ensures fairness, freedom and democracy for the electorate in choosing their representatives,” SANA reported.

Meanwhile, violence rocked the east of the country, emphasizing the challenging the crediblity of the polls while bloodshed continues. Eleven people werelost their lives by security forces on Monday across the country, activists at the Syrian Sham Network reported.

Another 18 people have been killed by Syrian forces across the country on Sunday, Al Arabiya reported citing Syrian activists at the Local Coordination Committees.

The United Nations estimates that more than 9,000 people have been killed in the violence while acitvists and opposition gorups claim more than 11,000 lives.

Al Yunaniya is unable to verify reports of violence, as the Syrian government has restrictions imposed on media.

Political experts express their concerns about the elections saying that they will bring no political change to the status quo of the country.

“The elections are a step in a void and will not lead to any change in the political landscape and security of Syria,” Oraib al-Rantawi, director of the Amman-based al-Quds Center for Political Studies, told AFP.