In Syria, the Middle East, which has been 10 years since the civil war, voting for the presidential election began on the 26th only in the areas controlled by the administration.
While the election is expected to re-election President Assad, rebels seeking resignation are strongly opposed to saying "it's a farce", and the path to the end of the civil war remains unclear.
In Syria, President Assad, who has been in power for three terms and 21 years, began voting for the presidential election following the expiration of his term at 7:00 am local time on the 26th.
Voting took place only in the areas controlled by the Assad administration, and a large number of people crowded the polling place at the university in the capital city of Damascus from the morning.
In addition to President Assad, two people are running for this election, but their name is low, and it is certain that President Assad will be re-elected for the fourth term.
A 20-year-old male student who came to the vote said, "I voted for President Assad. What I expect most is the stability of security and the lifting of economic sanctions imposed on Syria."
A 28-year-old woman said, "I want President Assad to rebuild Syria and rebuild the country. We have a strong trust in him."
On the other hand, the "National Coalition for Syria", which is a major organization of rebels, strongly opposes this election as "a farce" because it goes against the political solution based on the UN Security Council resolution.
President Assad is expected to win elections and further strengthen his power base while he is almost in the hands of a military victory in the civil war, but the process for a political solution is stalled and the path to the end of the civil war is Remains invisible.
Voting abroad at the Syrian Embassy in Tokyo
Prior to the presidential election that began in Syria, an overseas vote was held at the Syrian embassy in Tokyo on the 20th of this month, and pre-registered voters completed the vote ahead of time.
The embassy has a wall photo of President Assad and the two candidates, and the visiting voters enter a partition covered with the Syrian flag, fill out a ballot with the candidate's photo, and put it in an envelope. I put it in and cast a vote in the ballot box.
At the polling place, embassy staff used a smartphone to connect to the Syrian state-run broadcasting studio and tell them what the venue was like.
Chargé d'Affaires Hasane Haddam of the Syrian Embassy in Japan said, "The voting process is clear and transparent, such as keeping the voting secret in accordance with the Syrian Constitution."
On the other hand, some Syrians who fled the civil war and came to Japan said, "We who are considered to have left the country illegally do not have the right to vote, and even if we can vote, we will not participate in the propaganda of the Assad administration." It was done.