Syria presidential vote on June 3: parliament speaker

Published April 21, 2014
President Bashar al-Assad. — File photo
President Bashar al-Assad. — File photo

DAMASCUS: Syria will hold presidential elections that are expected to return President Bashar al-Assad to office on June 3, the country's parliamentary speaker said Monday.

As lawmakers met to hear the election date announced, mortar fire hit near the parliament building, killing at least two people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The deaths underlined the fact that Syria's first presidential election — after constitutional amendments did away with the old referendum system — will be held amid a devastating civil war.

The Observatory, a Britain-based monitoring group relying on sources inside Syria, says more than 150,000 people have been killed since March 2011, and rebels hold vast swathes of territory.

“Elections for the president of the Syrian Arab Republic for Syrians resident in the country will be held on June 3 from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm,” Mohammad al-Lahham said during a special session of parliament.

Voting for Syrians living outside the country will take place on May 28, he added, saying candidates for the presidency could register to run from Tuesday until May 1.

Assad, who became president after his father Hafez passed away in 2000 and whose current term ends on July 17, is widely expected to run and win another seven-year term in office despite the conflict.

New election rules require candidates to have lived in Syria for the last decade, effectively preventing key opposition figures in exile from standing for office.

Syria's conflict began with peaceful protests demanding democratic reforms but soon escalated into a civil war after the government launched a brutal crackdown on dissent.

Nearly half of Syria's population has been displaced, and violence continues to ravage many parts of the country, even reaching into the heart of the capital, which has regularly come under mortar fire from opposition fighters on the outskirts of Damascus.

The government has not laid out how it plans to hold elections under the circumstances.

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan turbulence
Updated 19 Mar, 2024

Afghan turbulence

RELATIONS between the newly formed government and Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban rulers have begun on an...
In disarray
19 Mar, 2024

In disarray

IT is clear that there is some bad blood within the PTI’s ranks. Ever since the PTI lost a key battle over ...
Festering wound
19 Mar, 2024

Festering wound

PROTESTS unfolded once more in Gwadar, this time against the alleged enforced disappearances of two young men, who...
Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...