TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY JOSE RODRIGUEZ
A resident of the eastern Syrian city of Deir Ezzor picks his candidates during an election to choose members of the city council on February 23, 2013. In rebel-held Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, opponents of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime hold local elections despite daily bombardment, putting into practice the democracy they have been deprived of for decades. AFP PHOTO/ZAC BAILLIE