DAMASCUS - Unrest-stricken Syria kicked off a parliamentary election on Monday morning, with 7,195 candidates from 12 political parties vying for the 250 seats.

The vote was the first under the new constitution, which ended the monopoly on power of President Bashar al-Assad's Baath Party and allows a multi-party system.

More than 12,000 polling stations opened at 7:00 am local time (GMT 0500) across the country. Syrian authorities said over 14 million people out of the country's 23 million population are eligible to vote.

On the eve of the election, Syrian Interior Minister Mohammad Ibrahim al-Sha'ar urged Syrian voters to "exercise their electoral right" by choosing the most qualified candidates.

However, some parties have announced that they would stay away from the election.