Syria holding parliamentary elections on May 7.

Syria is holding parliamentary elections on May 7, 2012, with nine new parties vying for the 250 seats in parliament.

However, the opposition parties claim these new parties are cooperating with the political elite and are not fully independent as they try to present themselves. The opposition is boycotting the elections, BBC reports.

The election is the first in the unrest-stricken country under the new constitution, which ended the monopoly on power of President Bashar al-Assad's Baath Party and allows a multi-party system.