Syrians express will through election: Information minister

Syrian Minister of Information Omran al-Zoubi has said that this year's presidential election will provide a genuine opportunity to the people to express their will and select a new leader.

The majority of Syrians have showed their willingness to cast their ballots as they hope that electing a new leader would bring security and stabilty back in the country, al-Zoubi said late Sunday.

Al-Zoubi confirmed that a huge turnout is expected in Tuesday's polls, SANA News Agency reported.

Syrians living overseas cast their ballots last week.

Syrian nationals, mainly in Malaysia, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Venezuela, Jordan, Iran and Oman, voted at Syrian embassies and consulates in these countries.

The number of eligible voters in and outside Syria has exceeded 15 million.

The three candidates contesting the presidential election are President Bashar al-Assad, former minister Hassan al-Nouri and lawmaker Maher Hajjar.

The election will be the first in half a century. Previously, there were only referendums to support Assad or his late father Hafez al-Assad, who was in office from 1971 to 2000.

In 2007, Bashar al-Assad won seven more years in office with 97 percent of the vote in a nationwide referendum on his leadership, in which he was the only candidate.

The Syrian opposition and Western powers have dismissed the 2014 voting as a farce.