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Syria to hold presidential elections on June 3 - parliament speaker

21 April 2014, 13:48 -- Syria is set to hold presidential elections on June 3, despite a raging civil war that has killed more than 150,000 people, the country's parliamentary speaker said on Monday.

'Elections for the president of the Syrian Arab Republic for Syrians resident in the country will be held on June 3 from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm,' Mohammad al-Lahham said during a special session of parliament.

Registering of Syria's presidential candidates kicks off for the first time on Monday

A presidential election race kicks off in Syria where several candidates can register for the first time beginning this Monday. The voting is due no later than July 17th, the day when President Bashar al-Assad's second term in office expires. But the Syrian Parliament is due to set the exact date for ballot casting shortly.

According to the Syrian Information Minister Omran az-Zoubi, the election will not be cancelled or pushed back to a later date.

According to a new election law that the Syrian Parliament approved in March this year, the candidates are required to submit their candidacies to parliament and secure the support of at least 35 deputies of the 250-seat national legislature. A candidate should be at least 40 years old and is supposed to have lived in Syria over the past 10 years. They are not allowed to bear a foreign passport.

The Incumbent Bashar al-Assad was reelected on May 27th 2007 by ensuring the support of 97.62% of the voters. Assad has thus far failed to signal his wish to run for the third term in office, although Syrian government officials have repeatedly pointed out there is nothing to prevent him from running for President again. A new term will be counted as of this year's election. The term will make up 7 years, and a new national leader cannot be elected for more than two consecutive times.

Assad said in a televised interview in April last year that he would not cling to his office and was prepared to step down if the people so decide.

Source: http://voiceofrussia.com/news/2014_04_21/Syria-to-hold- presidential-elections-on-June-3-parliament-speaker-1134/