Syrian parliament set May 27 presidency referendum
Syria’s Parliament today set May 27 as the date for a nationwide referendum on re-electing President Bashar Assad for another seven-year term in office, a vote he is sure to win.
Syria’s state-run news agency said the 250-member legislature unanimously endorsed the ruling Baath Party’s nomination of Mr Assad, its leader, for a second term – a formality, given the Baath Party’s domination of the rubber stamp legislature.
Mr Assad’s current term expires on July 17. He is the sole candidate for the “yes” or “no” referendum. Once his candidacy is approved in the referendum, he becomes president. There are no other candidates.
The ruling Baath Party, which nominated Mr Assad for a new term yesterday at the opening session of the new parliament, called the nomination an “expression of the Syrian people’s rallying around its leadership to strengthen the national policies.”
Mr Assad’s regime has come under intense pressure from the international community over his policies, mainly in Iraq and Lebanon. The United States accuses Syria of not doing enough to stop cross-border infiltration of Islamic militants into Iraq and of meddling in Lebanese internal affairs, charges that Syria denies.
A recent meeting between US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem apparently did not present a breakthrough in the cold relations.
