Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won the election with 95.1% of the vote, according to the Syrian state agency SANA. Presidential elections were held in Syria on May 26. In addition to Assad, two more candidates ran for the presidency.
Syria’s Supreme Constitutional Court announced earlier in May that three candidates were allowed to compete for the presidency: current President Bashar al-Assad, Mahmoud Marey from the Democratic Arab Socialist Union and Abdullah Abdullah from the Socialist Unionists. At the same time, a total of 51 people applied for candidates, but most of them were refused due to various reasons. Among the requirements for a candidate is to be a Muslim over 40 years old and not have citizenship of other countries.
Last week, those Syrians who live abroad took part in the elections. They could vote in the diplomatic missions of Syria.
The Western observers had noted even before the elections that Assad would most likely win without difficulty and will get the seven-year term as president of the Syria Arab Republic. This is the second presidential election since the start of the civil war in Syria. The previous ones took place in 2014, and then, for the first time in decades before the elections, candidates who are not members of the Assad family were admitted.
Representatives of the overseas-based Syrian opposition have previously announced their refusal to participate in the presidential elections. The EU did not agree to recognize the elections as free either. A similar position is taken in the United States, stating that the elections do not meet the requirements of UN Security Council Resolution 2254.
The war in Syria has been going on for over 10 years. To date, the Syrian government controls most of the country’s territory.
