Assad Wins 3rd Presidential Term with 88.7% of Votes and 73.42% Turnout
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Syrian President Bashar Assad has been re-elected in a landslide, officials said Wednesday, capturing a third seven-year term in the middle of a bloody 3-year-old uprising against his rule that has devastated the country.
Syria's parliament speaker, Jihad Laham, announced the final results from Tuesday's election, saying Assad garnered 10,319,723 votes, or 88.7 percent. Laham said Assad's two challengers, Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar, won 4.3 percent and 3.2 percent respectively. The Supreme Constitutional Court put turnout at 73.42 percent.
After the results were released, Damascus erupted into a thunderous, rolling clap of celebratory gunfire that appeared to include heavy weaponry. On the streets of the capital, men cheered and whistled. Some broke into the familiar pro-Assad chant: "With our souls, with our blood, we sacrifice for you, Bashar!"
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, "at least three people were killed and dozens more wounded as a result of celebratory gunfire shot by Assad supporters" in Damascus.
Assad's victory was always a foregone conclusion, despite the presence of other candidates on the ballot for the first time in decades. Voting was held only in government-controlled areas, excluding huge tracks of northern and eastern Syria that are in rebel hands. The opposition and its Western allies, including the United States, have denounced the election as a farce.
The win boosts Assad's support base, and provides further evidence that he has no intention of relinquishing power.
For the first time in decades, there were multiple candidates on the ballot. In previous presidential elections, Assad and before him his father, Hafez Assad, were elected in single candidate referendums in which voters cast yes-no ballots.
The government has sought to present this vote as a democratic solution to Syria's three-year conflict, although a win for Assad is certain to prolong the war. Much of northern and eastern Syria is in rebel hands, and those in the armed opposition show no signs of relenting in their fight to oust Assad.
The war, which activists say has killed more than 160,000 people, has left the international community deeply divided, with the U.S. and its allies backing the revolt against Assad, who enjoys the support of Russia and Iran.
That division persisted in perceptions of Tuesday's vote.
In Beirut, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry sharply criticized the Syrian election, calling it "a great big zero." He said it can't be considered fair "because you can't have an election where millions of your people don't even have an ability to vote."
"Nothing has changed from the day before the election and the day after. Nothing," Kerry said during a one-day visit to the Lebanese capital. "The conflict is the same, the terror is the same, the killing is the same."
The European Union joined the U.S. in condemning the election, saying in a statement that "it cannot be considered as a genuinely democratic vote."
In Damascus, meanwhile, a delegation led by the government's chief international supporters said Syria's first multi-candidate presidential election in over four decades was transparent and free, and would pave the way for "stability and national agreement."
The delegation of officials from more than 30 countries, including legislators and dignitaries from Iran, Russia and Venezuela, toured polling stations on Tuesday. In a final statement read Wednesday by Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of the Iranian parliament's Committee on National Security, the delegation blamed the U.S. and its allies for "crimes committed against the Syrian people."
04 June 2014, 22:47
48
No citizen of any country ever celebrates the election of a foreign president.
The fireworks and shooting happening in Dahyé is a disgrace to Lebanon. Hezbollah supporters are acting like animals and showing everyone what they truly are. TRAITORS.
I hope the bullets they shoot in the air will land on their heads rather than cause casualties to lebanese citizens.
Hezbollah supporters are nothing but sheep worshipping foreign dictators. Their Lebanese nationality should be revoked.
Hassan Nasrallah and his sheep are simply a disgrace to this country !
04 June 2014, 22:55
27
Yes, Assad's victory is "Divine" just as Hezbollah's "Liberation" of Lebanon. Anyone who believes these election result can only be an ignorant Hezbollah indoctrinated sheep. Anyone who believes this election would change anything is even dumber. Hezbollah is shooting bullets in the air like they won the elections themselves. They must surely feel as Syrian citizens.
It's time for the Lebanese Army to enter Dahyé and remove the weapons from these criminals and traitors ! Not only is it unacceptable to shoot bullets in the air. It's unacceptable that they rejoice over the election of a criminal which is responsible for the occupation of our country and slaughter of Lebanese. Hezbollah are traitors !
04 June 2014, 22:56
44
what a shame what a country where is isf where is the army? people living in and around the dahieh suburbs children and elderly cant sleep because some fanatic armed religious mules cant get enough of their phallic rifle shooting from building rooftops on any occasion just to annoy the rest of the population what kind of f----d up ideological civilization this is????
04 June 2014, 23:19
23
You're wrong 88.7% of Shia support Hezbollah... i mean Assad.... i mean 88.7% of Syrians support Assad. I always get confused with these divine numbers. Sorry !
You know how many % of Syrian Assad supports :) ?
04 June 2014, 23:01
42
Only 88.7 percent of the vote? That can not be... momo, Flimflam and Mr Snore will Demand a recount!!!!!!
04 June 2014, 23:08
43
sire tex, since when hezbollah is lebanese? LOL they do not obey the state, pledged allegiance to iran and celebrate assad's "election" like raving lunatics!
do they fire like mad men when a lebanese president is elected? LOL
04 June 2014, 23:09
44
hezbi and assad are digging their graves, it is only a question of time...
04 June 2014, 23:15
47
Why couldn't they before ? Assad was already president :) How would this election change anything ?
Just like how would an Iranian election change anything ? Your big boss is still this blasphemous heresy Khameini who hand picks presidents for your glorious democracy with divine powers.
You make me laugh so hard :)
04 June 2014, 23:35
34
Mystic, how about the cannibals is Assad going to remove them as well?
04 June 2014, 23:36
32
free baklawa in dahieh, ur sons didnt die in qalamoun for nothing...
05 June 2014, 00:06
31
I guess we all thought Assad would loose wow am I surprised. But there are 22 million people in Syria. So did he win with less than 50 %? Either way I turn this it still doesn't add up. Oh well I'm going to grab my AK and fire off a couple of rounds in celebration.
What's even more funnier is even the candidate was supporting Assad.
05 June 2014, 11:38
21
the only losers here are those who thought they could topple assad in a few days and takeover syria :)
the important figure here is not the 88.7%, but the 73,42% turnout. over 11 million Syrians showed up at the election organized by the government, showing their support for it.
05 June 2014, 17:40
01
Those who believe that 73.42% of eligible voters cast their vote are living in fantasy land. The Kurdish area did not participate. The rebel controlled areas did not participate. The areas controlled by ISIL did not participate. The overwhelming majority of refugees did not participate. The overwhelming majority of immigrants did not participate. The participation was very light in government-controlled areas of Aleppo and in contested areas.
05 June 2014, 00:14
30
The queen of England is holding an election for her seat can some body please nominate me.
05 June 2014, 01:53
21
You mean to tell me that 11.3% of voters voted against Assd and are still alive. That would be a first.
05 June 2014, 03:35
12
Funny I think you later on a different page said something about how funny it was that Nahar "dosnt?" mention the vote tally over 11 million Syrians Voted. Funnier still you pasted this before you posted that, have yourself checked memory is the first thing to go then..
PS: Labyaka Ya Souriya, is the wrong form Labbayki is the proper was to say it, poor Bashar is having to rely on foreigners for his propaganda, now that's not funny.
05 June 2014, 09:58
22
July 2012 estimate 22,530,746 people
From Wikipedia.
If 1/3 rd of the population were kids, and that would be a low figure. That would leave about say 15,000,000 adults and of that ASSad got 10,300,000 votes! So that would leave 4,700,000 Syrians (not including the kids of course) in rebel lands and refugees...
So that would mean that the ASSad got 68.6% of the voters (OPPS wait they say 73.42%).
Mystic your Lebanese are you? So how many Iranians and Lebanese participated Oh ya and how many times did each voter vote?
Oh good Russia and North Korea was there to give Thier stamp of approval ... Seriously @Mystic and the idiots like you ... GET REAL!
05 June 2014, 14:05
20
Republicans, watch and learn! If you want to win the next presidential election, first go about murdering the Democrats, force them to flee the country, and then your landslide victory is guaranteed.
05 June 2014, 14:12
10
Nowadays, it is always sunnier in the Lebanese colony of Dearborn than it is in Detroit. Just sayin'...
