"This depends on the Syrian people’s stance, on whether there is a popular will to hold early presidential elections. If there is such a will, this is not a problem for me. It is natural to respond to the will of the people and not to that of certain opposition forces. This issue concerns every Syrian citizen because every citizen votes for the president," Assad said.
"But I have no problem with this in principle because the president cannot work without the people’s support. And if the president is supported by the people, he must always be ready for such a step. I can say that this is no problem for us in principle, but in order to take such a step, we need the Syrian public opinion and not the opinion of the government or the president," Assad added.
The Syrian leader emphasized that snap presidential elections were not a part of the current political process.
"It has been proposed to hold parliamentary elections after the new constitution [has been adopted]. These elections will show the balance of powers on the political arena. Then, a new government will be formed in accordance with the representation of political forces in the new parliament… As for presidential elections, that is an entirely different issue," Assad said.
Direct presidential elections in which all Syrians could participate would be better for the country than the president being elected by the parliament, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Sputnik.
"The more Syrians participate – anyone who has a Syrian passport or ID – the stronger the elections will be, confirming the legitimacy of the state, the president and the constitution, in accordance to which this process is being carried out… Every Syrian citizen anywhere in the world has the right to vote, he underlined"
"I believe that people directly electing their president [and not through parliament] is a better option for us in Syria, so that the elections are as free as possible from the influence of various political forces and depend, overall, only on the people’s sentiment. From my point of view, that’s the best option," Assad said.
According to the president, the technical details of how presidential elections in Syria will be held are not yet being discussed.
"How these elections will be held is a matter we are not discussing yet, because the issue of early presidential elections has not been raised. But this has to do with procedures that would allow everyone to come to the ballot boxes controlled by the Syrian state," he explained.
The Syrian leader also noted that every citizen of the country, including those who left when the war broke out, should be able to take part in the voting process.
"The more Syrians participate – anyone who has a Syrian passport or ID – the stronger the elections will be, confirming the legitimacy of the state, the president and the constitution, in accordance to which this process is being carried out… Every Syrian citizen anywhere in the world has the right to vote," he underlined.
On February 22, Assad issued a decree calling for parliamentary elections in the country on April 13, sputnik reported.
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