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| Syrian voters in Lebanon throng embassy to cast ballots | Syrian voters in Lebanon throng embassy to cast ballots |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| YARZE, Lebanon — Syrians thronged their embassy in Lebanon Wednesday to cast ballots for President Bashar al-Assad, offering a forceful affirmation of his tightening grip on power after three years of conflict. | YARZE, Lebanon — Syrians thronged their embassy in Lebanon Wednesday to cast ballots for President Bashar al-Assad, offering a forceful affirmation of his tightening grip on power after three years of conflict. |
| The day was set aside for Syrian expatriates worldwide to cast ballots ahead of Tuesday’s nationwide election, which Assad is expected to win easily in the absence of serious challengers. | The day was set aside for Syrian expatriates worldwide to cast ballots ahead of Tuesday’s nationwide election, which Assad is expected to win easily in the absence of serious challengers. |
| After more than a year of steady military gains by government loyalists, the election is seen as a chance for Assad to also claim a political victory over his opponents, who have struggled over the past year to make meaningful progress on the battlefield or to forge a coherent alternative to his rule. | After more than a year of steady military gains by government loyalists, the election is seen as a chance for Assad to also claim a political victory over his opponents, who have struggled over the past year to make meaningful progress on the battlefield or to forge a coherent alternative to his rule. |
| (See: This is what the Syrian election looks like in Lebanon) | (See: This is what the Syrian election looks like in Lebanon) |
| The chaotic scenes at the embassy in Lebanon, a nation that is home to more than a third of the 2.8 million Syrian refugees worldwide, seemed to reinforce the sense that there is no immediate likelihood of an end to Assad’s rule. | The chaotic scenes at the embassy in Lebanon, a nation that is home to more than a third of the 2.8 million Syrian refugees worldwide, seemed to reinforce the sense that there is no immediate likelihood of an end to Assad’s rule. |
| The crowds were fueled in part by widespread rumors that those who do not vote will not be allowed to return home. There were fistfights and scuffles as desperate people fought to gain admission to the embassy grounds. Roads were clogged for miles by people arriving in buses, in cars and on foot. | The crowds were fueled in part by widespread rumors that those who do not vote will not be allowed to return home. There were fistfights and scuffles as desperate people fought to gain admission to the embassy grounds. Roads were clogged for miles by people arriving in buses, in cars and on foot. |
| The embassy announced that it was extending voting by a day to accommodate the large numbers. Although no figures were available, Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, expressed satisfaction with the turnout. | The embassy announced that it was extending voting by a day to accommodate the large numbers. Although no figures were available, Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul-Karim Ali, expressed satisfaction with the turnout. |
| “Syria is proud of its people and proud of their newfound love for their country,” he told reporters. | “Syria is proud of its people and proud of their newfound love for their country,” he told reporters. |
| Many of the voters were diehard Assad backers. They showed up in convoys, blaring horns, waving the president’s picture and chanting slogans of support. “Our blood, our souls, we pledge to you, Bashar,” chanted a knot of men as they climbed the last stretch of hill leading to the embassy. | Many of the voters were diehard Assad backers. They showed up in convoys, blaring horns, waving the president’s picture and chanting slogans of support. “Our blood, our souls, we pledge to you, Bashar,” chanted a knot of men as they climbed the last stretch of hill leading to the embassy. |
| Many others were refugees who had fled in fear for their lives after turning against the government. Now they fear they will never be able to go home. | Many others were refugees who had fled in fear for their lives after turning against the government. Now they fear they will never be able to go home. |
| “We want to go back to our country,” said one man, a refugee from Damascus, after he cast his ballot for Assad along with half a dozen members of his extended family. They had traveled from their refugee camp in the eastern Bekaa Valley, and they declined to give their names because of fears of retribution. | “We want to go back to our country,” said one man, a refugee from Damascus, after he cast his ballot for Assad along with half a dozen members of his extended family. They had traveled from their refugee camp in the eastern Bekaa Valley, and they declined to give their names because of fears of retribution. |
| “Everyone knows that if you don’t vote, you can’t go home,” the man said. | “Everyone knows that if you don’t vote, you can’t go home,” the man said. |
| There was no confirmation from Syrian authorities that this would be the case, but with all voters having to submit their identity papers to the embassy for registration, it is feasible that the government will know who voted and who did not. | There was no confirmation from Syrian authorities that this would be the case, but with all voters having to submit their identity papers to the embassy for registration, it is feasible that the government will know who voted and who did not. |
| Others acknowledged mixed motives for casting their ballots. Mohammed al-Aboud, 23, said that he wants to ensure that he can one day return to Syria but that he also had few qualms about voting for Assad after initially supporting the revolution against him. | Others acknowledged mixed motives for casting their ballots. Mohammed al-Aboud, 23, said that he wants to ensure that he can one day return to Syria but that he also had few qualms about voting for Assad after initially supporting the revolution against him. |
| “We tried to change things, but we couldn’t,” Aboud said. “It was a good revolution to begin with. But then they started killing people and it went wrong.” | “We tried to change things, but we couldn’t,” Aboud said. “It was a good revolution to begin with. But then they started killing people and it went wrong.” |
| The view that Assad is the only one who can end the killing was widely expressed. | The view that Assad is the only one who can end the killing was widely expressed. |
| “Bashar is the only one who stood beside Syria, and he is the only one who can end the fighting,” said Firas Rasheed, 30, a laborer who is from the eastern Syrian town of Deir al-Zour but who works in Lebanon. | “Bashar is the only one who stood beside Syria, and he is the only one who can end the fighting,” said Firas Rasheed, 30, a laborer who is from the eastern Syrian town of Deir al-Zour but who works in Lebanon. |
| Although there were three candidates on the ballot paper, none of the voters interviewed said they were picking anyone other than Assad. The constitution has been carefully crafted to exclude political opponents, and the two other candidates, Hassan al-Nouri and Maher al-Hajjar, were permitted to run only after being vetted by the ruling Baath Party and the Syrian security apparatus. | |
| The rules were lax, with many voters casting ballots on behalf of multiple people. One man stood in line clutching the identity cards of at least 20 people on whose behalf he was planning to vote. A woman from the city of Aleppo borrowed a pen to write “yes” under Assad’s picture on the ballot paper on behalf of seven family members. | The rules were lax, with many voters casting ballots on behalf of multiple people. One man stood in line clutching the identity cards of at least 20 people on whose behalf he was planning to vote. A woman from the city of Aleppo borrowed a pen to write “yes” under Assad’s picture on the ballot paper on behalf of seven family members. |
| A 29-year-old woman gave up trying to reach the embassy after being stuck in traffic for hours. Instead, she e-mailed a scan of her identity document to a friend who was already there and who voted for her. “It’s a facade,” she said. “I’m just doing all the right things so that I don’t get into trouble later. Assad will win for sure, and I don’t want to face any consequences.” | A 29-year-old woman gave up trying to reach the embassy after being stuck in traffic for hours. Instead, she e-mailed a scan of her identity document to a friend who was already there and who voted for her. “It’s a facade,” she said. “I’m just doing all the right things so that I don’t get into trouble later. Assad will win for sure, and I don’t want to face any consequences.” |