Syrians are voting in the first parliamentary elections under a new constitution that paved the way for a multiparty system in the country.
Voting began at 7:00am (04:00GMT) across Syria on Monday. It was initially scheduled for September 2011, but was postponed for six months after President Bashar al-Assad announced the launch of a reform process.
Violence rocked the east of the country ahead of Monday's vote, underlining the challenge of holding a credible poll while bloodshed continues, complicating the task of UN observers monitoring a ceasefire declared on April 12.
Al Jazeera's Nisreen El-Shamayleh reports from Amman in neighbouring Jordan.