Though the civil war in Syria largely has to do with his position in the leadership role, Bashar al-Assad has once again will win his country’s election for president. Those who still live in the government controlled sections of the country will be visiting the polls and will give greater resolve to Assad’s quest in demolitioning the country’s rebels. Not all in the country oppose Assad’s rule, some supporters go as far as leaving drops of their own blood under pictures of their president to show unwavering support.

Something new is happening in this election though, something that hasn’t happened in at least four decades. There is another name on the ballot besides Assad’s. The government has been trying to use the other two names on the ballot as proof that the country is in fact moving toward a democracy. It is important to note however that neither candidate has publicly criticized Bashar, who is all but certain to win.

One of the candidates, Maher Hajjar “We need to look forward without casting blame on any side, what’s needed now is consensus on the characteristics of the new Syria.” Comments like these can’t be taken with any real validity though. Assad and his father before him have both been placed in power by referendum, without any actual ballots being cast. Paul Salem, V.P. of the Middle East Institute said that Assad “will no doubt emerge stronger.”

Most countries involved in the situation in that region are less than skeptical though. Most, such as the U.K. and U.S., believe that the election is nothing more than a facade that Assad is using to support his claim that ultimately the Syrian people want him. John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of State, “Assad’s staged elections are a farce, they’re an insult, they’re a fraud on democracy, the Syrian people and the world.”

The polls open up at 7 a.m. in Syria and are expected to stay open until 7 p.m. There are apparently 16 million Syrians who are eligible to vote in the election, and state run news stations have been cutting to images of polling stations that are already packed. It seems that Syrians are excited about the chance to vote. Many voters leaving polling stations have openly voiced their vote for Assad, and we doubt that there are only but a few who are dumb enough to say that they didn’t vote for him. When the dust clears and everything has settled, Assad will remain president just as if the election never happened at all.

Photo:Nabih Bulos