Syria: 2021 presidential election and future prospects

51 candidates had expressed an intention to contest the election, but Syria’s Supreme Constitutional Court permitted just three candidates to stand: incumbent President Bashar al-Assad; Abdullah Salloum Abdullah, a former Cabinet Minister; and Mahmoud Ahmad Mari, the head of a Syria-based opposition party.

President Assad dominated the election campaign, which many opposition figures claimed was a sham. Many in the international community declared the election to be neither free nor fair and denounced its legitimacy.

On 27 May, the day after Syrians voted, the Speaker of the People’s Assembly announced the results of the presidential election; as expected, President Assad secured a fourth term in office with a landslide victory.

The election result is likely to further deepen the Syrian government’s rift with the west and drive Syria closer to Russia and Iran.