Assad: Election Entitlement, Popular Response Assert Syrian Citizens’ Freedom

By Staff, SANA

Candidate for the post of President of the Syrian Arab Republic, Bashar Assad and his wife cast their votes at a polling station in the Municipality Council of Douma city in Damascus countryside on Wednesday.

“We are pleased to visit Douma city today and meet with its sons and honored people, as well to participate in this great national entitlement since it is our first visit after liberation... we have to start by congratulating citizens of this city on liberation from terrorism and on their return to homeland, and their contribution with their brothers in the rest of areas, which have been liberated, in restoring life to normal, even gradually, and in participating in the national entitlements; whether the latest elections of the People’s Assembly or the presidential election today,” Assad said after casting his vote.

The presidential candidate added that “one of the elections’ reflections is that this entitlement and the popular reaction that we see is an assertion that the Syrian citizen is free, the decision of the Syrian citizen is at his/her own hands,  not in the hands of any other party and therefore all the statements we hear recently from Western countries, most of them with a colonial history that began before the campaign and continued until the past few days and perhaps the last few hours that comment on these elections and give an evaluation of them, determine their legitimacy and illegitimacy… of course, we,  as a state,  do not give interest to such statements, but the most important thing of what the state says or doesn’t say is the word of the people.”

The presidential candidate said “I think that the popular interaction that we have seen during the past weeks was a clear and efficient response to all those… and this reaction tells them that the value of their opinions is zero.”

Assad concluded his speech by sending greetings to all the citizens of Douma, to all citizens of Ghouta and to all citizens of the liberated areas, adding that “certainly with each other and together we will work and build our cities, villages and towns, and we will restore to our fields their splendor and fragrance.”

Assad greeted all Syrian people at home and abroad as they are the only ones who have the great role in every achievement, no matter how small and no matter how great, because they are the ones who sacrificed and withstood.