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Syria: Free and Fair Elections Despite Western Sabotage

May 23, NSNBC

Syria is living in a fair and democratic atmosphere ahead of the presidential elections, said presidential candidate Dr. Hassan al-Nouri, adding that the current government succeeded at holding foreign influence at bay. Prominent Syrians denounce the double standards of Germany, France, among other, who prevent Syrian expatriates from voting in Syrian embassies. Syria is heading toward a historic day; The country’s and the people’s first free and fair elections in post-colonial Syria, despite western sabotage.

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A Fair and Democratic Atmosphere, Free of Foreign Interference.

Presidential candidate Dr. Hassan al-Nouri said that Syria is living in a free and democratic atmosphere, free of foreign interference, ahead of the presidential elections set for June 3.

Al-Nouri made the statement during a meeting with members of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce and Industry Directors on Thursday.

al-Nouri_Chamber of Commerce_Damascus_Syria_SANA

Dr. al-Nouri describes himself as a representative of Syria’s silent majority which cares less about politics than about having its needs met.

Calling for a broad participation in the upcoming election to secure a political victory, al-Nouri assessed the performance of previous administrations. His judgement is “they didn’t care well”.

The State must, of course, have the right to interfere in the economic sphere, “but according to certain criteria and standards”, he added.

In fairness, Dr. al-Nouri had praising words to say about his main competitor in the presidential election besides Maher Hijjar. “President Bashar al-Assad exerted immense efforts for preserving the country and national principles” al-Nouri stressed, recognizing al-Assad’s and the current administration’s successful defense against a three-year-long attempt to destabilize the country.

“The crisis is nearing its end” he said, adding that he anticipates the situation to be much better by the end of the year and expecting a U-turn in the positions certain countries have towards Syria.

Syrian Expatriates to Vote on May 28 – Germany, France, Israel and Other Sabotage Election for Expatriates.

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Syrian expatriates can vote in Syrian embassies on May 28. The Syrian Embassy in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, reports that it has completed election lists for eligible voters. Charge d’affaires Ibrahim Ibrahim said in a statement to the Syrian news agency SANA that all electors’ lists were sent to the concerned authorities in Syria after registration of names of Syrians willing to participate in the balloting was completed.

The Syrian expatriates communities in Germany and France denounce the decision of the German and French governments to prevent them from voting. France has officially informed the Syrian embassy in Paris of its opposition to the holding of the vote on French territory, including the Syrian embassy, said the Foreign and Expatriates ministry in a statement issued on May 12. The German government followed suit not long after France. Other nations who praise themselves of “democratic values” but prevent Syrians from using their constitutional right to vote include the United States and Israel.

Dr. Mahdi Younes, a Syrian physician living in France, said the decision is a “flagrant violation of the French Constitution,” saying that it runs counter to France’s much-vaunted championing of freedom and democracy.

Professor Orwa Omran was no less critical of the decision which he considered will “rub salt into the wound of the Syrians living away from their country,” considering it a bid to throw into doubt the legitimacy of the elections and create a sustained sate of instability in Syria.

Noura Obaid, a Syrian expat in France, lambasted the French double standards on Syria as it pretends to be championing democracy while at the same time barring the Syrians on its soil from practicing their right to choose their president.

The Israeli government announced that it will not allow Syrians in the Israeli occupied Syrian Golan Heights to vote. Representatives of the Golan Syrians styled a letter to the office of the UN Secretary General who, thus far, failed to respond or remedy Israel’s, arguably, breach of international law.

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Syrian Students Define Elections as Manifestation of Syrian Sovereignty.

Syria’s students marked the upcoming elections with statements which can, or maybe should make elected officials in many a western a democracy recall what enlightened Europeans like Feuerbach, Robespierre, Max Weber, and others thought, said and wrote about sovereignty.

The National Union of Syrian Students held a symposium under the title  “Elections… Sovereign Decision” at the great auditorium at Damascus University. The symposium was also attended by the Minister of Endowments, Mohammed Abdul-Sattar al-Sayyed and the Chairman of the Levant Scholars Union, Dr. Tawfik Ramadan al-Bouti. Al-Sayyed stressed:

“The presidential election process is a historic juncture for the homeland, the nation, the people, Islam, Christianity and Arabism, with which we face the West, Zionism, the Takfiris, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Wahhabism, and international intelligence circles which have rallied against Syria in an attempt to undermine it”.

Pushkov, Photo courtesy of SANA

Russian State Duma to Send Observers. UN Security Council Resolution to Refer Syria to the ICC vetoed by China and Russia.

The Chairman of the Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee, Alexey Pushkov, said that the Council decided to send an observer mission to monitor the elections on June 3. Observers are also expected from a number of other countries on invitation of Russia.

Russia and China, yesterday, vetoed a French and Lithuanian sponsored resolution at the UN Security Council, proposing to refer Syria to the International Criminal Court.

The Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin described the draft resolution as “a political stunt”. China and Russia justified the veto, stressing that it would not contribute to finding a political solution to the crisis in Syria

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