Syrian parliament opens registration for presidential candidates

The Syrian Parliament Monday opened registration for candidates for the upcoming presidential vote, the first multi-candidate election since adoption of the current constitution.

During an emergency session held Monday with the participation of ministers of the Syrian government, Parliament speaker Jihad Laham declared the commencement of the registration for presidential candidates, Xinhua reported

The candidates can submit their applications to the Higher Constitutional Court within 10 days starting Tuesday, April 22.

Voting for Syrians in the country will start June 3, while Syrians abroad will cast their vote May 28, said Laham.

A general election bill adopted by the Syrian parliament stipulates that the candidate must have lived in Syria for 10 consecutive years prior to nomination, a condition that cannot be met by the exiled opposition, whose members have been living outside Syria for years.

Government officials have expressed optimism that incumbent President Bashar al-Assad still enjoys popular support despite a three-year-old conflict.

Opposition groups have slammed the planned elections, saying that under current circumstances, it would "blow up" the political process in Syria.

Assad, whose second term expires July 17, has not yet announced whether he will contest this year or not, but he has reportedly expressed interest in running again for a third seven-year term.

He was unanimously nominated by the Syrian parliament to be president in 2000, following the death of his father, former President Hafez Assad.

He was re-elected without opposition in 2007.