Syrian presidential election, 2007
Encyclopedia
A referendum to confirm the presidential candidate Bashar al-Assad
was held in Syria
on 27 May 2007, after the People's Council of Syria
voted to propose the incumbent
for a second term on 10 May 2007. It was widely believed that the elections were rigged. Syrian dissidents invited Syrians not to cast their ballots in what they said would be a rigged vote but to stay at home.
According to the Syrian Constitution
, the Baath Arab Socialist Party
is the leader of the state and society and thus, the president should be a member of the party. The National Progressive Front
, which is a political coalition led by the Baath Party
, nominates a candidate in parliament, the People's Council
. The candidate must be approved by at least two thirds of the members to proceed to the next step which is a general referendum in which a candidate must claim a percentage of at least 51%.
Bassam Abdel Majeed
, Assad won 97.62 per cent of the vote. "This great consensus shows the political maturity of Syria and the brilliance of our democracy," said the interior minister, while the ministry described voter turnout
as "enormous".
State Department
briefing held on 29 May, Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey
said that, "I think it's pretty hard to suggest that any kind of election can be free, fair or credible when you've only got one candidate, and that candidate receives about 98 percent of the vote. Look, clearly, there was no real choice here for the Syrian people... I'm sure President Assad is basking in the glow of his ability to have defeated exactly zero other candidates and continue his misrule of Syria."
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
was held in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
on 27 May 2007, after the People's Council of Syria
People's Council of Syria
The People's Council -External links:* official government website...
voted to propose the incumbent
Incumbent
The incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
for a second term on 10 May 2007. It was widely believed that the elections were rigged. Syrian dissidents invited Syrians not to cast their ballots in what they said would be a rigged vote but to stay at home.
According to the Syrian Constitution
Constitution of Syria
The Constitution of Syria delineates the basic function of that state's government. Among other things, it determines Syria's character to be Arab, Socialist and republican...
, the Baath Arab Socialist Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
is the leader of the state and society and thus, the president should be a member of the party. The National Progressive Front
National Progressive Front
The National Progressive Front , established in 1972, is a coalition of political parties in Syria that support the socialist and Arab nationalist orientation of the government and accept the "leading role in society" of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, .The Front was established by Syrian...
, which is a political coalition led by the Baath Party
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
, nominates a candidate in parliament, the People's Council
People's Council of Syria
The People's Council -External links:* official government website...
. The candidate must be approved by at least two thirds of the members to proceed to the next step which is a general referendum in which a candidate must claim a percentage of at least 51%.
Result
According to Interior MinisterInterior minister
An interior ministry is a government ministry typically responsible for policing, national security, and immigration matters. The ministry is often headed by a minister of the interior or minister of home affairs...
Bassam Abdel Majeed
Bassam Abdel Majeed
Major General Bassam Abdel Majeed is the current Syrian ambassador to Kuwait. He also served as the interior minister of Syria between 2006 and 2009....
, Assad won 97.62 per cent of the vote. "This great consensus shows the political maturity of Syria and the brilliance of our democracy," said the interior minister, while the ministry described voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
as "enormous".
| Option | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 11,199,445 | 97.62 |
| No | 19,653 | 0.17 |
| Invalid | 253,059 | 2.21 |
| Total (turnout 95.86%) (11,967,611 eligible) |
11,472,157 | 100.0 |
| Source: Syrian Arab News Agency | ||
United States reaction
In a United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
State Department
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
briefing held on 29 May, Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey
Tom Casey (diplomat)
Tom Casey is a U.S. diplomat. He was the Deputy Spokesman and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the United States Department of State, a position to which he was appointed on 3 July 2006. Immediately prior to this assignment, he served as Director of the Office of Press...
said that, "I think it's pretty hard to suggest that any kind of election can be free, fair or credible when you've only got one candidate, and that candidate receives about 98 percent of the vote. Look, clearly, there was no real choice here for the Syrian people... I'm sure President Assad is basking in the glow of his ability to have defeated exactly zero other candidates and continue his misrule of Syria."