Syria Holds Presidential Elections that Many See as Symbolic

In downtown Cairo, the Syrian embassy became a makeshift polling station. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Workers at the embassy opened the doors for voters early in the morning, and kept them open until midnight, in hopes of drawing large numbers. Observers say the turnout so far has reflected a tiny percentage of Egypt’s Syrian population. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Voters line up to register and cast ballots inside the Syrian embassy in Cairo, Egypt. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Bashar al-Assad, who inherited the presidency of Syria from his father and has extended it by changing the constitution, is now running against two obscure figures. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Former deputy cabinet minister Abdallah Saloum and lawyer Mahmoud Marei, head of a small opposition party, appeared on the ballot as candidates running for the presidency against Bashar al-Assad. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Voters choose their candidate behind curtains to ensure privacy, but many see this vote as symbolic and not as an exercise in electoral freedom. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Quarters of the Syrian embassy in Cairo are cramped with patriotic Syrians singing national songs and raising Syrian flags depicting Bashar al-Assad. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Waa'd Elsayed is a Syrian American who voted for Bashar al-Assad. Elsayed says he believes Assad is the only one capable of controlling Syria at the moment. (H. Elrasam/VOA)

Rawaa Shaghleen, spokeswoman for the Syrian embassy in Cairo, said the embassy extended its hours until midnight to allow more voters to come. The Syrian government wants a high turnout to portray the elections as legitimate. (H. Elrasam/VOA)