Syria presidential candidates to register from April 21

Candidates for the upcoming presidential election in Syria can begin registering on April 21, a report quoted a government source as saying.

“On Monday April 21, the Council of the People (parliament) will meet to open registration for presidential candidates and set a date for the election,” the source said on Thursday.

Damascus has said that it would go ahead with presidential election later this year before President Bashar al-Assad’s term ends on July 17.

Meanwhile, one hundred armed men from al-Zabadani, Madaya and Buqeyn areas in the Damascus countryside turned themselves in to the Syrian authorities and handed over their weapons.

Those who had not committed crimes were set free after pledging not to carry arms again or carry out any act that would destabilize the security of the country.

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

On Wednesday, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad said the United States along with Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the Israeli regime were supporting militants fighting against the Syrian government.

The foreign-backed militants in Syria are “criminals and smugglers, who can be bought by millions of dollars streamlined by Saudi Arabia,” Miqdad added.