Syrian President Al-Assad Wins Fourth Term with 95.1% of the Vote

Long-term Rule for Over 20 Years Since 2000 Inauguration
Election Boycott in Rebel-Controlled Northern Areas and Against 'Showcase Opposition Candidates'

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] Bashar al-Assad, the President of Syria, has secured a fourth term by winning an overwhelming majority in the recent presidential election.

According to major foreign media on the 27th (local time), Hammouda Sabbagh, Speaker of the Syrian Parliament, announced that President al-Assad was elected with a 95.1% vote share in the election held the previous day. This is an increase from the 88% vote share al-Assad received in the 2014 presidential election.

Competing candidates Abdallah Salloum Abdallah, former Minister of State, and opposition leader Mahmoud Marei received 1.5% and 3.3% of the votes respectively. Voter turnout was recorded at 78.66%, with 14.2 million out of 18 million eligible voters participating.

Foreign media view this election as a mere formality for al-Assad’s continued rule. The two opposition candidates were labeled as 'showcase opposition' candidates. In fact, al-Assad barely campaigned after the candidate list was finalized on the 3rd.

Additionally, foreign reports stated that just before the election, the Syrian government organized large-scale pro-al-Assad rallies encouraging voting for the president, and there were testimonies that government officials were instructed to vote for al-Assad.

It was also pointed out as problematic that residents in the northern regions controlled by rebel forces and an estimated 6 million refugees were unable to participate in the election. Earlier, Turkey, which hosts about 4 million Syrian refugees, criticized the election as illegal, and the Kurds, who control northeastern Syria and have formed an autonomous government, expressed disinterest in the election.

Foreign ministers from five countries?the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy?also questioned the legitimacy of the election, stating it would be unfair.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad [Photo by EPA Yonhap News]

Previously, President al-Assad succeeded his father, former President Hafez al-Assad, who held power for 30 years, taking office in 2000 and has maintained the presidency since then.

Since then, Syria has been embroiled in a civil war for 10 years, triggered by the 2011 'Arab Spring' uprisings against his dictatorship.

In 2015, with Russia’s intervention supporting the al-Assad regime in the Syrian civil war, government forces gained the upper hand, and currently, rebel forces continue to resist in the northwestern Idlib region.

So far, the civil war has resulted in approximately 388,000 deaths, half of Syria’s population becoming refugees, and over 80% of the population suffering from poverty.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.