Syria Election, A Referendum on Government Legitimacy: Iranian Envoy
DAMASCUS (Tasnim) – The Iranian ambassador to Syria described tomorrow’s presidential election as an indication of how Syrians view the legitimacy of their government.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani said the polls have gone beyond a presidential election as they can be considered a general referendum on the legitimacy of the current Syrian administration.
“This is somehow challenging terrorism by means of democracy. It also indicates that people’s choice is the political resolution (of the crisis) not terrorism and Takfiri (extremist) ideology,” he underscored.
Syria’s presidential election is slated for June 3 with three candidates standing for the presidency, namely incumbent president Bashar al-Assad, Maher Abdel Hafiz Hajjar and Hassan Abdullah al-Nuri.
Earlier on Wednesday, Syrian expatriates cast their ballots in the Syrian embassies in 43 different countries.
Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. Terrorists from many countries have flocked into the crisis-torn country to topple President Assad’s legitimate government.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Sheibani referred to remarks by senior US officials about Washington’s decision to arm Syrian opposition militants and said it is nothing new as the US has been directly or indirectly sending arms to the militants since the beginning of the crisis.
The Iranian envoy stressed that such remarks by American officials will have no significant impact on the military balance in Syria.
US President Barack Obama vowed on Wednesday to boost US support to the rebels fighting to topple the Syrian government.
"I will work with Congress to ramp up support for those in the Syrian opposition who offer the best alternative to terrorists and a brutal dictator," Obama said in a keynote speech to the West Point military academy on May 28.
Moreover, US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday that the US, Britain, and European and Arab states are to increase all aspects of support for the mainstream Syrian opposition fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad.
