2007 Syrian Presidential Election

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A referendum to confirm the presidential candidate

Bashar al-Assad Bashar Hafez al-Assad, ', Levantine pronunciation: ; (, born 11 September 1965) is a Syrian politician who is the 19th president of Syria, since 17 July 2000. In addition, he is the commander-in-chief of the Syrian Armed Forces and the ...

was held in

Syria Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

on 27 May 2007, after the

People's Council of Syria The People's Assembly ( ar, مَجْلِس الشَّعْب, ) is Syria's legislative authority. It has 250 members elected for a four-year term in 15 multi-seat constituencies. There are two main political fronts; the National Progressive Fron ...

unanimously

, 29 May 2007 voted to propose the

incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an official, office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seek ...

for a second term on 10 May 2007., 28 May 2007

Electoral system

According to the

Syrian Constitution The current Constitution of the Syrian Arab Republic was adopted on 26 February 2012, replacing one that had been in force since 13 March 1973. The current constitution delineates the basic function of that state's government. Among other things, ...

, the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party of Syria is the leader of the state and society and thus, the President should be a member of the party. The National Progressive Front, a political coalition led by the Ba'ath Party, nominated a candidate in the People's Council. The candidate had to be approved by at least two-thirds of MPs to proceed to the referendum, in which a candidate had to receive at least 51% of the vote.

Results

Aftermath

The referendum was widely regarded as a formality,, 29 May 2007 and was boycotted by the

opposition Opposition may refer to: Arts and media * ''Opposition'' (Altars EP), 2011 EP by Christian metalcore band Altars * The Opposition (band), a London post-punk band * ''The Opposition with Jordan Klepper'', a late-night television series on Comed ...

.Syria's opposition boycotts vote on Assad

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was estab ...

, 17 May 2007, 27 May 2007Syria's Assad wins second term
SBS World News, 29 May 2007 Political opposition groups were banned unless attached to the Ba'ath Party, meaning Assad was the only candidate allowed to run. It was reported that dissent was met with imprisonment and intimidation.Syrian President's Fortunes Revive for Election

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, 27 May 2007 Fear of government reprisal was said to have been pervasive. Critics accused Assad of rampant corruption, mass arrests against dissidents, and suppression of pro-democracy activists. Syrian lawyer

Haitham al-Maleh Haitham al-Maleh ( ar, هيثم المالح, born August 15, 1931) is a Syrian human rights activist and former judge. He is a critic of the current Syrian government under Bashar al-Assad and has been imprisoned by the Syrian government because ...

stated "there is only one candidate and this is absolutely not a healthy process." Tom Casey, American spokesman for the

State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government responsible for the country's fore ...

, said "I'm sure President Assad is basking in the glow of his ability to have defeated exactly zero other candidates and continue his misrule of Syria," and that "clearly there was no real choice here for the Syrian people."Syria's Assad wins another term

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broadca ...

, 29 May 2007 The information minister,

Muhsen Bilal Muhsen Bilal ( ar, محسن بلال) (born 1944) is a Syrian surgeon, ambassador and Ba'athist politician. Early life and education Bilal was born into a prominent Alawite family in Burghalieh, Tartus Governorate, in 1944. His father lived in A ...

, stated that "we have our own style of democracy and we are proud of it.", 28 May 2007

References

{{Syrian elections

Presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The pre ...

Presidential elections in Syria Single-candidate elections