Government controlled parts of Syria are holding widely criticized parliamentary elections on Wednesday, the same day UN-mediated peace talks convening warring parties restart in Geneva amid concern a fraying ceasefire could undermine efforts to end nearly five years of conflict.

With more than half of Syria`s population displaced and swaths of territory under the control of a dizzying array of armed groups, Wednesday`s vote to elect 250 members to the People`s Assembly have been widely viewed as a sham to give President Bashar al-Assad and his Baath Party a veneer of legitimacy.

The vote comes as the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, aims to renew "proximity talks" among opposition groups and regime representatives to chart a political transition.

The UN dismissed the parliamentary elections, and last week de Mistura said he was more interested in elections the UN Security Council voted should be held in 18 months as part of a political transition.

On Wednesday, de Mistura will meet with the High Negotiations Committee, an umbrella rebel and opposition body backed by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. Then on Friday the UN envoy will meet with regime representatives led by Syria`s UN ambassador.

Syrian Kurds, key actors who have set up autonomous zones, have not been invited to the talks.

The last set of negotiations in Geneva were put on hold nearly as soon as they started in February over disagreements on the fate of Assad as the Russian air force backed a regime offensive that cut off rebels` supply line from Turkey to Aleppo.

The opposition demands Assad step down and that talks focus on a transitional body with full executive powers. The regime and its backers, mainly Russia and Iran, argue the Syrian people should decide Assad`s fate and the focus should be on fighting terrorism.

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