The US has dismissed a Syrian plan to hold a presidential election on 3 June as a “parody of democracy”.
UN chief Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plan, saying it could torpedo efforts to broker a deal to end the three-year civil war, which has killed 150,000.
Government forces have made gains recently, but rebels still control vast territories. It is unlikely that voting would be held in those areas.
President Bashar al-Assad is expected to seek a third seven-year term.
The government recently framed an election law that stipulated all candidates must have lived in Syria for the past 10 years.
Most opposition leaders have fled the country, so are in effect barred from standing.
Opposition activist Ahmad Alqusair accused Mr Assad of “holding elections over the blood of Syrians” and said only the president’s supporters would vote.
“If we are being blockaded from even eating bread, how can I vote,” he told the Associated Press.
One government MP said there would be no voting in rebel-held areas, but no official announcement has yet been made.
The US, EU and UN were united in condemning the planned vote.
“Calling for a de-facto referendum rings especially hollow now as the regime continues to massacre the very electorate it purports to represent,” said state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki, BBC informs.
