Syria Kicks Off Presidential Election
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – Syrian voters started to cast ballots on Tuesday morning around the Arab country to elect the next president for a seven-year term.
According to Tasnim dispatches, the polling stations opened at 7am local time (0400 GMT) all over the country. Though the nationwide polls are in progress, Tuesday has not been declared a public holiday and Syrians go to work today.
Three hopefuls are running for the presidency, namely incumbent President Bashar al-Assad, Maher Abdel Hafiz Hajjar and Hassan Abdullah al-Nuri.
In the meantime, Syria’s Interior Ministry on Monday quashed rumors that the eligible voters could participate in the polls via the Internet in case they would not take the time to go to the stations.
Moreover, the ministry vehemently denied reports about closure of the roads linking Syria’s cities and villages, stressing that such unfounded rumors are spread to undermine the atmosphere of the democratic elections in Syria.
Tasnim reporter said on Monday that the Syrian government has taken tight security measures to maintain law and order during the presidential votes.
The government forces have added to the number of the security posts in different areas to restrain terrorists from entering the county’s central regions and prevent any act of sabotage in the voting process.
