Bashar Al-Assad to continue to serve as President of Syria after winning election for 4th time

Bashar Al-Assad will continue to serve as the President of Syria after winning the election for the fourth time.

 

Assad, 55, has been president since 2000.

 

He succeeded his late father, Hafez, who had ruled Syria for more than a quarter of a century before that.

 

Syria's opposition called the vote a farce, while the US and European countries said it was



not free or fair election.

 

Syria has been devastated by a decade-long conflict and the fighting has left at least 3,88,000 people dead and caused half the population to flee their homes, including almost six million refugees abroad.

 

The election was held in government-controlled areas of the country and in some Syrian embassies overseas.