Al Jazeera English published this video item, entitled “Syrians vote in election set to extend al-Assad’s grip on power” – below is their description.
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has cast his ballot in a controversial presidential election that is set to extend his grip on power.
Al-Assad and his wife Asma voted in a Damascus suburb, a key rebel stronghold before it was retaken by government forces in 2018.
Voting is being held only in government-controlled areas and the exiled opposition is not allowed to take part.
Al-Assad faces few rivals and is expected to win a fourth seven-year term, despite a decade of war, poverty and an economy in freefall.
He has dismissed all criticism that the election is a sham.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reports from neighbouring Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley where thousands of Syrians live as refugees.
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Al Jazeera English YouTube Channel
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