Syrian Court Selects Assad and Two "Rivals" to Run for Election

Just three people including incumbent Syrian president Bashar al-Assad have been selected to run in the country’s upcoming parliamentary election.

Last Friday, sealed boxes containing nominations by the Syrian People’s Assembly, the parliament in those parts of the country controlled by the Assad regime, for 51 would-be candidates – including seven women – were sent to the Supreme Constitutional Court for approval.

On Monday it was announced that President Bashar al-Assad had been chosen along with two other men, former state minister Abdullah Salloum Abdullah, and a member of the so-called “tolerated opposition” and Mahmoud Ahmad Marie, to run.

The election will be largely symbolic. The Syrian regime has invited delegates from a handful of "friendly" states to observe its upcoming election, which is due to take place on Wednesday, May 26.

A Foregone Conclusion

The highly secretive nominations process for candidates began on April 20 in a special room of the parliament building in Damascus. Most of the candidates, with the exception of incumbent President Bashar Al-Assad, were unknown but the list was thought to include some businessmen, former candidates and MPs.

After last Friday’s vote a supposed parliamentary source told Russia Today that members of the ruling Baath Party and the National Progressive Front had given Bashar al-Assad and Abdullah Sallum Abdullah the necessary votes for their candidacy to be accepted by the Court. They added that the 70 “independent” members of the People’s Assembly had also voted for Assad.

The constitution stipulates that the candidate must have been a continuous permanent resident of Syria for the last 10 years. Candidates must also obtain the support of at least 35 members of the People’s Assembly, meaning Assad, as secretary of the Baath Party, which holds 167 of the 250 seats, was almost guaranteed to secure a place on the ballot.

Abdullah Salloum Abdullah belongs to the Socialist Unionist Party of the National Progressive Front, but is not its named candidate, as the Front's parties have already announced that their preferred candidate is Bashar al-Assad.

Salloum previously held the position of Minister of State for People's Assembly Affairs and was a member of the Syrian parliament between 2003 and 2007, and 2012 and 2016. He was also active in the Socialist Unionist Party and held several leadership positions within it over the years.

Invitation to a Select Few Countries to Observe

On Friday, April 28, People's Assembly agreed to invite observers from what they called “brotherly and friendly countries” to supervise the vote later in May and be informed of its course.

Delegates will be invited from Algeria, Oman, Mauritania, Russia, Iran, China, Venezuela, Cuba, Belarus, South Africa, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Armenia, and Bolivia.

The assembly did not specify the details of the role that will be assigned to these figures, but said they will "accompany the electoral process”.

Two days earlier, Assad had briefed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on the preparations being made for the election. According to a bulletin by Kremlin news agency Sputnik, the Syrian premier expressed his "deep gratitude to Russia for the comprehensive support and assistance to the Syrian people”.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry has also affirmed its support for the upcoming vote. The elections are taking place in the midst of an economic and political crisis in the country and are not recognized by a wide spectrum of Syrian opposition groups, nor by Western countries led by the United States.