Germany Refuses to Recognize Syrian Parliamentary Elections' Results

Berlin will not recognize the results of the ongoing parliamentary elections in Syria, German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer said Wednesday.

BERLIN (Sputnik) — Syria is holding parliamentary elections on Wednesday. Over 7,000 polling stations opened across the country earlier in the day. Over 3,500 candidates are contesting the 250 seats in Syria's parliament.

"German government will not recognize the results of these elections," Schaefer told reporters.

He added that the current situation in the crisis-torn country prevents it from holding "free and fair elections."

Earlier in the day, French Foreign Ministry spokesman Romain Nadal has also condemned the ongoing elections in the Middle Eastern country, saying that they are held "without real election campaign."

The Wednesday parliamentary elections are the second held in the country since the beginning of the civil war in 2011. The previous parliamentary elections were held in May 2012, with voter turnout exceeding 51 percent, which is equal to some five million people, according to Syria's electoral committee.