For the fourth time since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, residents in government-controlled areas are going to the polls in what critics call an electoral farce to help shore up President Bashar al-Assad’s standing. Voting started on Monday in all 8,151 electoral centres distributed across 15 voting districts in government-held areas, with 1,516 candidates competing for the 250 seats in parliament. “We are in a new phase in which we look forward to building a modern Syria,” Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnos said, while casting his vote. The judge responsible for overseeing the el…