Damascus Towards New Political Game Rules

Ghassan Jawad - al-Joumhouria newspaper*

As the Syrian presidential polls kicked off, Damascus is titling towards the rules of a new political game that will start as soon as the results are announced.

Ever since Damascus declared its intention to carry out the presidential elections, it had to deal with rabid US, European, and Arab pressures just so that it doesn't do so. In counterpart, the Syrian command received offers by Washington through the Russians and the Iranians thereby asking Bashar Assad to agree to extend his own term for two years in order that the Syrian scene should remain as is and that new political facts should be created and affect, according to Washington, "the course of the political solution" as approached by the so-called "friends of Syria."

The Syrian command heard the offer; discussions with the allies resulted into rejecting it and conducting the polls that are expected to bring Assad to power for another seven-year mandate, with the possibility of a term renewal, pursuant to the Syrian Constitution.

Damascus dwells that the West offer to extend Assad's term for two years came after the political and military changes Syria has been making for more than a year now. Syrian officials see that the West wants, through this proposal, Assad to continue leading the battle against terrorism, cleansing Syria from gunmen, and handing a "terrorism-free" Syria to Washington and its Arab allies!

Therefore, the answer was to bring about a positive shock among the Syrian society, hold a diversified electoral process compliant with the new Constitution, turn a cold shoulder to the US and Arab wishes, carry on reforms in tandem with the war on terrorism, and dissociate the internal political course of the conflict from its external aspect.

Syria soldiers on its firm position towards all the western proposals in terms of the Syrian crisis owing to its military achievements on the ground, the changes within the Syrian society and the reconciliations taking place in more than a region where outsiders and terrorists are being expelled and forced out; most of them had to return to where they came from, thus constituting a heavy load on the West and the states that had patronized and braced them.

In Damascus, there is relief over the course of the presidential polls, building on many internal and external political factors.
On the external level, the West needs Damascus more than it does it in the war on terrorism.

Turning to the local scene, there is wagering on an array of developments that was mirrored in the turnout of Syrian voters abroad, something that the Syrian command deem as a vote for the return of stability and security as well as for the eradication of what if left of terrorist groups. Some also explain this as a radical change in the popular "mood" in Syria which has been obfuscated in mayhem, displacement, and destruction for the past three years.

The West, which supported the opposition under the guise of change, reform, and democracy, seems contradictory and embarrassed as it banned Syrian nationals from casting ballot upon the soil of some of its states. Not to mention the Arab countries who followed suit!

Washington and the western states stood against the diversified elections that take place for the first time in 50 years in Damascus.

This political gain is in favor of the Syrian people. The presence of three candidates in these polls draws a new Syrian scene which Syrians haven't been used to yet, but which will lay the underpinning for the future and create an internal political energy that will help the regime in its battle with the outside and the terrorists. As to the internal national opposition, we will see it tomorrow in the new Syrian government after the elections' results and the expected victory of Assad are announced.

*Translated by al-Ahed news