DAMASCUS, May 29 (RIA Novosti) - Bashar al-Asad was reelected president of Syria for another seven years (until 2014), the country's interior minister said Tuesday.
In an unprecedented turnout of around 96%, almost 98% of eligible voters (12 million) cast their votes for Asad in a national referendum Sunday. Just over 1.5% voted against and some 2% placed incomplete slips into the ballot box.
Bashar al-Asad was first elected president in July 2000 in a nationwide referendum following the death of his father, former President Hafez Asad.
Thousands of Syrians across the country took to the streets to celebrate Asad's reelection.
Asad was the only presidential candidate, since all parties represented in Syria's parliament accepted the nomination put forward by the ruling Ba'ath party and chose not to field their own candidates.
