Voting in Syria's presidential election takes place today, three years into a civil war in which more than 160,000 people have died.
There is little doubt that President Bashar al-Assad will win a third seven-year term in office and Syrian officials have gone to great lengths to present the vote as a way to resolve the crisis.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The other two candidates – Maher Hajjar and Hassan al-Nouri – are not widely known and have little chance of winning. A restrictive election law makes it more or less impossible to run without government approval and the country's Supreme Court has already disqualified 21 candidates from the race.
"To vote for anything other than Bashar al-Assad is to sign your own death warrant and that of your family, and not to vote at all means you are forfeiting your chance of any kind of future in Syria," says Diana Darke in The Guardian.
Voting will only take place in government-held territory and opposition fighters have warned they will try to disrupt the vote. The Syrian National Coalition, the main opposition group, is boycotting the election, with its leader Ahmad al-Jarba describing the election as "theatre written with the blood of Syrians". He also accused Assad of planning to bomb and shell polling stations in order to blame the opposition.
Polling stations opened at 7.00am local time and will close at 7.00pm, although voting might be extended for five hours if there is a big turnout.
One in five Syrians have been left in abject poverty, with scarcely the means to meet their basic food needs, while millions of people have fled the country, with Syrians now the largest refugee population in the world.
-
Frauds: ‘fantastically stylish’ crime heist caper is a ‘triumph’The Week Recommends Suranne Jones and Jodie Whittaker play a pair of ex-cons planning one last job
-
The struggles of Aston MartinIn the Spotlight The car manufacturer, famous for its association with the James Bond franchise, is ‘running out of road’
-
The end of ‘golden ticket’ asylum rightsThe Explainer Refugees lose automatic right to bring family over and must ‘earn’ indefinite right to remain
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
Inside Syria’s al-Hol campUnder the radar Aid cuts mean authorities face ‘uphill struggle’ to maintain security
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
How China uses 'dark fleets' to circumvent trade sanctionsThe Explainer The fleets are used to smuggle goods like oil and fish
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflictSpeed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Syria's returning refugeesThe Explainer Thousands of Syrian refugees are going back to their homeland but conditions there remain extremely challenging
-
One year after mass protests, why are Kenyans taking to the streets again?today's big question More than 60 protesters died during demonstrations in 2024
