Syria has called a presidential election for 3 June, preparing the ground for Bachar Al Assad to defy widespread opposition and extend his grip on power days after he said the war was turning in his favor. The announcement came just hours after mortar shells exploded about 100m (320ft) from the parliament building in central Damascus, killing five people, according to state TV. However, Western and Gulf Arab countries that back Assad’s opponents had called plans for the vote a “parody of democracy” and said it would wreck efforts to negotiate a peace settlement. UN chief Ban Ki-moon also condemned the plan, saying it could torpedo efforts to broker a deal to end the three-year civil war, which has killed 150,000.
Though its more likely that President Bashar al-Assad will try to seek his third term and its more like to win,he didnt and till now publicly say whether he will seek a third term or no. However, the hot news now or to call it breaking news :Speaker of the Syrian People’s Assembly Mohammad Jihad al-Laham announced Wednesday that the Assembly received from the Supreme Constitutional Court a candidacy application from MP Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar to run for president, SANA news agency reported.
Hajjar is the first to submit an application to run for presidency after the Supreme Constitutional Court said a day before that it was ready to receive candidacy applications.
Registration for presidential candidates was declared open Monday by Speaker al-Laham, during a session that was attended by Prime Minister, ministers and representatives of local, Arab and foreign media.
In addition:
Damascus, (SANA)_ Hassan Abdullah al-Nouri has submitted to the Supreme Constitutional Court an application announcing his candidacy for President of the Republic , to be the second one to run for the presidency of Syria in the upcoming election, scheduled for June 3.
Candidates can continue to submit applications through Thursday, 1 May, 2014.
