Syria will hold presidential elections on May 26, the Syrian parliament has announced. On that occasion, incumbent President Bashar al-Assad is expected to secure a fourth seven-year term.
The Assad Dynasty has been cracking down on Syria for 50 years, with the support of the powerful security apparatus. Bashar al-Assad succeeded his late father Hafiz in 2000. He was reelected in 2007 and 2014, with 97 and 88 percent of the vote respectively. The West called the ballot box unfree and unfair.
The conditions for Assad’s potential challengers de facto preclude the participation of opposition candidates. Only Syrians who have lived continuously in their own country for the past ten years can run in the elections, but opponents of the regime live in exile abroad for their own safety. Furthermore, their candidacy must be supported by 35 members of parliament, while the parliament is dominated by Assad’s Ba’ath party.
Destruction and poverty
Civil war broke out in Syria in 2011 after protests against Assad were brutally suppressed. Ten years later, Assad has restored his rule over most of the country, thanks to military assistance from Russia and Iran. Opposition has been pushed back in Idlib province. Large parts of the country have been destroyed and the population is very poor. Many millions of Syrians have fled the country.
Syrians abroad are allowed to vote in the presidential elections on 20 May.
–
