Damascus: Syria’s Supreme Constitutional Court has approved three candidates to run in the May 26 presidential race, among them current President Bashar al-Assad, the official SANA news agency reported on Monday.
Some 51 candidates applied to compete in the presidential race, which is expected to give incumbent al-Assad a new term in office. The head of the court, Mohammed Jihad al-Lahham, told a press conference that the court accepted the applications of Abdullah Salloum Abdullah, Bashar Hafez al-Assad and Mahmoud Ahmad Marai.
Marai is one of the opposition figures tolerated by al-Assad and lives in Damascus, while Abdullah is a former state minister for parliamentary affairs as well as a former lawmaker. Al-Lahham said the rest of the candidates can appeal to the court within three days. Al-Assad, who has ruled Syria since 2000, is expected to win a fourth term. (dpa)
Some 51 candidates applied to compete in the presidential race, which is expected to give incumbent al-Assad a new term in office. The head of the court, Mohammed Jihad al-Lahham, told a press conference that the court accepted the applications of Abdullah Salloum Abdullah, Bashar Hafez al-Assad and Mahmoud Ahmad Marai.
Marai is one of the opposition figures tolerated by al-Assad and lives in Damascus, while Abdullah is a former state minister for parliamentary affairs as well as a former lawmaker. Al-Lahham said the rest of the candidates can appeal to the court within three days. Al-Assad, who has ruled Syria since 2000, is expected to win a fourth term. (dpa)