Nation holds parliamentary polls in areas held by govt

Opposition calls for boycott, accusing Damascus of trying to gain leverage in talks

Syrians went to the polls on Wednesday in areas controlled by the government for parliamentary elections dismissed by the opposition as illegitimate.

The vote coincides with the beginning of a second round of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the devastating five-year conflict, with President Bashar Assad's future a key sticking point.