Syria’s Assad calls for parliament elections in April

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday called for parliamentary elections to be held on 13 April, Syria’s SANA news agency reported.

The decision comes as international powers seek to halt the fighting in Syria in the hope of bringing an end to the conflict.

A leading member of the opposition’s Syrian National Coalition Burhan Ghalioun described Assad’s call for parliamentary elections in remarks to Quds Press as “an attempt to circumvent the political process supported by Moscow and Washington”.

Ghalioun said that the coming period will witness the outbreak of a new conflict between Assad and the major powers, during which Assad will seek to “cut the road before them” by holding elections and “use the new parliament to give him legitimacy against the international will”. He added that regime leader will not succeed.

Ghalioun also said that the agreement reached between Russia and the US regarding Syria is a step in the right direction.

“There are big problems that will hamper the truce, including the absence of a plan to monitor and supervise its implementation, but its importance lies in the existence of a strong international orientation to find a way out of the current crisis in Syria, which has become an international crisis,” he said.

Ghalioun added: “Russia has achieved its goal in Syria and confirmed itself as a regional power in the Middle East and therefore now it is heading for a truce.”