DAMASCUS - Tempers have flared in various areas of Syria resulting in scuffles with police, amid delays in announcing the results of the weekend parliamentary polls, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. Al-Watan, without giving figures, said several people were injured as unofficial partial results filtered out from the Saturday-Sunday elections. “Scuffles broke out north of Damascus between people celebrating the partial results and others who contested them, leaving some demonstrators slightly injured,” it said, citing security sources and witnesses.During the incidents in Wafidin camp which is home mainly to Syrians from the Israeli-annexed Golan, “the security forces quickly moved into action and brought the situation under control”, the paper said.
A demonstration was also held in Maadan, located in the Raqqa region of centre-north Syria, where protesters burnt tyres. Security forces intervened with “about 20 tear-gas canisters and firing warning shots in the air”, witnesses told Al-Watan. One resident was lightly injured in the leg. More injuries were reported in the southern villages of Hauran where celebratory gunshots were fired into the air, it said.
Official results were due to have been announced on Tuesday or Wednesday after two days of polling which were marked by a reportedly low turnout and lack of enthusiasm among the electorate.
| That's why it's taking so long, there are so few ballots to count. |