Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to be president for third term after winning 88.7 per cent of votes

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad has booked his slot for a third term in the Syrian Presidential elections, securing 88.7 per cent of votes.

The election results were announced by parliamentary speaker Mohammad al-Laham in a media address, as he declared Bashar al-Assad as president of the Syrian Arab Republic with an absolute majority of votes cast in the elections.

According to BBC, the win is likely to boost Assad's supporters, as the government side has recently made significant military gains and rebel groups are fighting among themselves.

The report further added that the voting process received sharp criticism from the US and its allies, with the European Union also condemning the election.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said that the election process in a country is undemocratic if the majority of its population does not have the ability to vote.

However, foreign delegates visiting Damascus from more than 30 countries such as Iran, Russia and Venezuela, have supported the transparency of the election process.