Syrian President Bashar al-Assad declared yesterday he would seek re-election in June, defying calls from his opponents to step aside and allow a political solution to the country’s devastating civil war.

Assad formally submitted his nomination to Syria’s constitutional court to stand in an election which his Western and Arab foes have dismissed as a parody of democracy.

He is the seventh person to put himself forward for Syria’s first multi-candidate presidential vote in decades, but none of his rivals are expected to mount a serious challenge to 44 years of Assad family rule.

Election dismissed as a parody of democracy

The announcement was made in Parliament by speaker Mohammad al-Laham, who read out Assad’s submission. “I... Dr Bashar Hafez al Assad... wish to nominate myself for the post of president of the republic, hoping that Parliament will endorse it,” it said.

State media said crowds gathered to celebrate the coming election and recent military gains by Assad’s forces who, supported by foreign allies, have turned the tide of a war which 18 months ago challenged his control over Damascus.

Syria’s opposition leaders in exile, barred from standing by a constitutional clause requiring candidates to have lived in Syria continuously for 10 years, said the vote is a charade.

The Constitution also says candidates must have the backing of 35 members of the pro-Assad parliament, effectively ruling out dissenting voices.