In strife-torn Syria, 7,195 candidates have registered to compete for 250 seats in parliamentary elections set for May 7, according to state news agency SANA.

The poll, in which 710 women are standing, will run amid an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad's regime, which broke out in March last year.

According to SANA, 14 million Syrians are eligible to vote in the poll, which anti-regime activists have described as a farce.

Candidates have started campaigning on the main squares and streets of Damascus.

"A job for each young man and woman" and "vote for your future" are just two of the slogans candidates are using to attract voters.

The poll, initially scheduled for September, was postponed after Assad announced the launching of a reform process.

Last month, parliament urged Assad to again put off the election to allow more time to implement the reforms, SANA reported. [AFP]