DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s parliament speaker says President Bashar Assad has been re-elected by a landslide, capturing 88.7 percent of the vote.
Jihad Laham said Wednesday that Assad’s two challengers, Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar, won 4.3 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.
The Supreme Constitutional Court says turnout was 73.42 percent.
Tuesday’s vote was only held in government-controlled areas, and the opposition has denounced the election amid Syria’s civil war as a farce.
Assad’s victory was always a foregone conclusion, despite the presence of other candidates on the ballot for the first time in decades.
The win boosts his support base, and provides further evidence that Assad has no intention of relinquishing power
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