BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:30 P.M.) – The local and municipal elections for government office in Syria began this week after a seven-year hiatus.

According to a report from Damascus, more than 40,000 candidates are competing for 18,478 government seats.

The government polling stations opened on Monday at 7:00 A.M. (local time) and will remain open until 7:00 P.M.

The provinces experiencing the highest voter turnout at this time are Aleppo, Damascus, Homs, and Latakia, a source told Al-Masdar this afternoon.

In Damascus, the polling stations witnessed a good turnout hours after they were opened.