Above: People vote in Syrian elections Photo: Syrians vote to elect their representatives in Damascus on December 12, 2011. (AFP: Louai Beshara)
Judy Bello of Rochester New York went to Syria as part of an international team of election observers. She joined men and women from the United States, Canada, Venezuela, Brazil, Iran, Uganda, Zimbabwe and other countries gathered in Syria to observe the presidential election this past week. Delegation members observed voting at polling stations in Damascus, Homs, Sweida, Tartous, Latakia and Aleppo.
Everywhere, the people were very excited about the opportunity to vote and large numbers of people were openly demonstrating their loyalty to President Assad. There was no doubt in any of our minds that Dr. Bashar al Assad was the choice of the Syrian people.
The alternative candidates, liberal economist Hassan al Nouri, an economist who supports opening up the Syrian economy to global trade, and Maher Abdul-Hafith al Hajjar of the People’s Will Party who was an early leader of peaceful protests around Syria, and is known to Syrians in the opposition, each received a very small number of votes but both are active in the current government. The election was a referendum on support for the current President, Dr. Bashar al Assad whose leadership was overwhelmingly affirmed.
People interviewed voted for different reasons. Some voted out of love for their leader, something we in America find hard to understand. But most people said they were voting for a restoration of order and civilization in their country. They voted for security and peace. They voted against foreign intervention by the United States and its western allies, who openly support forces that are devastating their country. The Syrian government’s recent successes in recovering significant areas of the country have made the people hopeful, and many voted for rebuilding their country.
U.S. and Canadian delegates met with the board of the Elections Commission the day before the election, and were given a detailed understanding of the process put in place for conducting the election and for counting the votes. The statistical basis for the results, 73% of population voted, is the entire population of Syria, not the population of the government held areas.
Judy Bello arrives home in Rochester, New York today. She invites the press to ask questions about the Syrian election and current conditions in Syria.