Syrians in Lebanon Kick Off Vote on New Term for Assad

Hundreds of Syrians flocked to their embassy in Lebanon early Thursday as expatriates and refugees kicked off voting for next week's presidential election which is expected to keep Bashar al-Assad in power.

Voters started gathering outside the embassy in Baabda, north of Beirut, from 5 am (0200 GMT) amid a heavy deployment by Lebanese security forces, an AFP correspondent reported.

Many chanted slogans in support of Assad and carried portraits of the longtime president and his late father Hafez. Pictures of Assad's two little-known challengers were nowhere to be seen.

Mohammad al-Doummani, from the Damascus countryside, was among the first to vote.

"I voted for Bashar al-Asssad because I believe in his project," Doummani told AFP after casting his ballot.

"I have full faith in him and his ability to drag Syria out of crisis."

Dozens of Syrian embassies abroad, including those in Russia, Jordan and Kuwait, also opened their doors to voters.

But several countries that oppose Assad have blocked the vote.

Polling inside Syria is set for next Wednesday.

The election will be the second since civil war erupted in 2011. The conflict has killed more than 388,000 people and prompted more than half of Syria's pre-war population to flee their homes.

It will likely yield a win for Assad, who has held power for the past 21 years.

Outside the embassy in Lebanon, voters chanted: "God, Syria and Bashar."

"I voted for Bashar al-Assad because conditions were better 10 years ago," said Khamees Mohammad, a 38-year-old from the northern province of Aleppo.

Nearby, Abdul Rahman, a 21-year-old also from Aleppo, said he too was voting for the longtime ruler.

"He did everything for us," said the man who has been living in Lebanon for five years.

"He gave us healthcare and education for free.

"Look at the difference between the situation in Lebanon and the situation in Syria."

Lebanon, which is grappling with an economic crisis, says it hosts some 1.5 million Syrians, including around one million registered as refugees with the United Nations.

The country of more than six million people has pressured refugees to return home but human rights groups still deem the country unsafe.