Residents of the city of Suweida, in southern Syria, say that the re-election of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be a continuation of “destruction and crises.”
The Syrian government seeks to hold the presidential elections in April to re-elect Assad, who has ruled the country since 2000.
Government and party institutions in Suweida started to promote what it called “the presidential elections and supporting the president’s leadership” through holding forums and meetings in the halls of the Cultural Center in the city and the Education Theatre.
Rami Talay’i (a pseudonym), a high school teacher in the city, told North Press that the re-nomination and re-election of Assad after the destruction of Syria over ten years is “not acceptable to any free person.”
“After the political and economic bankruptcy of Assad, he has become weak-willed and a tool in the hands of Iran and Russia,” he added.
Talay’i believes that Assad’s continuation in power “will lead the country to a dark tunnel and a total economic collapse amid the intensification of the economic sanctions.”
Samih al-Tayer (a pseudonym), a car salesman staying in Shahba city, north of Suweida, said he cannot find a real alternative to Assad, as the Syrian opposition has not provided a political project.
He believes that over the years of the Syrian war, “Syria’s fall was into the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS), supported by the Muslim Brotherhood.”
“Assad is not the only one who bears responsibility for corruption in the country, as the successive governments during his rule did not bear responsibility towards their people,” he noted.
“Life decisions come from foreign powers, and there will be no serious role left for a new Syrian president,” he referred.
On Thursday, statements were issued by families in Suweida expressing their rejection of the current president’s candidacy for the elections.
Activists in the city reported that expressions against the Syrian president began to appear again on the walls of the city’s streets.
Jamal al-Youssef (a pseudonym), a writer residing in the city, said, “the reproduction of dictatorship in a new cycle may be more of a pain for Syrians than before.”
“The monopoly over ruling Syria, even if it has become ruin, and boasting that Assad is the one who will pull Syria out of its present ordeal has become a disgusting matter,” he added.
Youssef pointed out that the sharp contrast between the political blocs competing for the legitimacy to represent Syrians and their demands is also surrounded by “dreams of individual leadership and the tendency to reject others from the rest of the spectrum.”
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
