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Presidential elections were held in Syria on 26 May 2021, with expatriates able to vote in some embassies abroad on 20 May.[2] The three candidates were incumbent president Bashar al-Assad, Mahmoud Ahmad Marei and Abdullah Sallum Abdullah. The elections were considered not to be free and fair.[3] The United Nations condemned the elections as an illegitimate process with "no mandate"; accusing the Ba'athist regime of undermining UN Resolution 2254 and for obstructing the UN-backed political solution that calls for a "free and fair elections" under international monitoring.[4][5]
Prior to the elections, several countries and intergovernmental organisations expressed concerns about the fairness and legitimacy of the election, and stated they would not recognize the results.[6] In what was considered by some international observers to be a foregone conclusion and by many as an "empty election" marked by fraud, the result was a landslide victory for Assad, who won over 95% of the vote.[7][8][9]
Officials said 79% of voters took part, but in the context of the ongoing civil war and subsequent population displacement, this figure has been questioned. The government claimed over 18,000,000 "eligible" voters, but because ballots were only offered in areas under government control, only just over 10,000,000 were actually able to vote, while, according to the official results, Assad won over 13,000,000 votes,[10][11] technically meaning a voter turnout of 130%. Many observers and analysts noted that these numbers exceeded the possible number of adult voters in government-held areas of the country. President al-Assad was sworn in for his fourth term (2021–2028) on 17 July 2021 at the Presidential Palace.[12]
Per Chapter 3, Article 88 of the Constitution of Syria, which only allows for a maximum of one re-election, al-Assad will be ineligible to run for another term in 2028.[13]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
dasuwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Syria to hold election in May after years of war". BBC News. 18 April 2021. Archived from the original on 18 April 2021. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
- ^ "Analysis | Yes, Assad won reelection last week. But Syria's elections serve another purpose". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 1 June 2021.
- ^ Kossaify, Ephrem (22 April 2021). "UN reiterates it is not involved in Syrian presidential election". Arab News. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021.
- ^ Cheeseman, Nicholas (2019). How to Rig an Election. Yale University Press. pp. 140–141. ISBN 978-0-300-24665-0. OCLC 1089560229.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
France 24 2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
NPR.org 2021was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Syrian President Bashar al-Assad wins election claiming 95.1 per cent of votes - ABC News". ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation). 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won a fourth term in office with 95.1 per cent of the votes in an election critics have said was marked by fraud.
- ^ "Syria's Assad wins 4th term with 95% of vote, in election the West calls fraudulent". Reuters. 27 May 2021. Archived from the original on 27 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad won a fourth term in office with 95.1% of the votes in an election that will extend his rule over a country ruined by war but which opponents and the West say was marked by fraud.
- ^ "Syria election: Bashar al Assad elected for fourth term as president after winning 95.1% of the vote". Sky News. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
- ^ "Syria's Assad says reelection empowers him to defeat enemies". thestar.com. 28 May 2021. Archived from the original on 28 May 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2021.
- ^ "Syrian president Bashar Assad sworn in for fourth term". Bicester Advertiser. 17 July 2021. Archived from the original on 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Syrian Arab Republic: Constitution, 2012". 29 April 2021. Archived from the original on 11 November 2020. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).