DAMASCUS, Syria — Syrians were voting for members of a new parliament in an election Monday that was expected to hold few surprises but could pave the way for a constitutional amendment to extend the term of President Bashar Assad. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The vote is the fourth in Syria since mass anti-government protests in 2011 and a brutal crackdown by security forces spiraled into an ongoing civil war and comes as an economic crisis grips the country, fueling demonstrations in the south. Syria’s 2024 parliamentary election excludes rebel-held northwest Syria and the country’s northeast under U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.