Turkey denounces election under Assad regime

By Handan Kazanci

ISTANBUL (AA) – Turkey on Wednesday denounced this week’s presidential election organized by the Assad regime as unrepresentative, unfair, and illegal.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry described the Wednesday election in Assad-controlled Syria as “illegitimate,” adding that it does “not reflect the free will of the people.”

The ministry said that the election is being held under unfair and unfree conditions and fails to comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 on political solutions to the Syrian conflict, and exposes the Assad regime’s insincere approach to the political process.

The statement stressed the need to continue the uninterrupted political process carried out under UN facilitation, under the ownership and leadership of Syrians.

The Assad regime should not be allowed to attempt to gain “artificial legitimacy” by holding an election whose outcome is pre-ordained, it said.

Turkey will resolutely continue its efforts for a just political solution for Syria in solidarity with the Syrian people, the ministry added.

-'Neither free nor fair'

On Tuesday, top diplomats from the US, UK, France, Germany, and Italy said Syria’s presidential election will "neither be free nor fair."

Assad has been the victor in every election since he took power in 2000 as heir to his father, Hafez al-Assad.

The decision to hold elections was made despite the ongoing military conflict, lack of any political solution in sight, failure of negotiations between the opposition and the regime, and the displacement of more than 10 million Syrians either as refugees or internally displaced persons.

Moreover, about 40% of the country is not under regime control.

Syria has been in a civil war since early 2011, when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Around half a million people have been killed and more than 12 million had to flee their homes in the past decade.