Syrian Opposition Coalition welcomes moves from France & Germany & calls for an international boycott of Assad’s ‘elections’

Press Release

Syrian Coalition

Office of the President

May 13, 2014

The Syrian Opposition Coalition welcomes the move from France and Germany to refuse the Syrian regime to hold ‘elections’ on its soil. These are welcome steps from our friends to stand in solidarity with the Syrian people.

As we approach the Friends of Syria meeting in London this Thursday, we call for this move to be replicated in an international boycott of this process.

It is farce that the Assad regime believes the world will be fooled by its ‘elections’ next month. The Assad regime has never been elected, but is the head of a 44 year old family-dictatorship, who won 98% of the vote in the last ‘elections’ charade in 2007. This move is taken while a systematic policy of war crimes continues unabated against innocent civilians, vast parts of Syria have been completely destroyed by Assad’s airforce, army and militia over the last 3 years. With a third of Syria’s population displaced internally or in refugee camps in the region, there is no electorate in Syria in a condition to exercise its right to vote, even if there had been actual elections.

The SOC wants a Syria where true democratic elections allow the Syrian people to choose for themselves who governs them, but this will not be possible while a dictator’s slaughter is allowed to continue. This move circumvents the Geneva Communiqué’s decision that a Transitional Governing Body must be established to reach a political solution in Syria.

French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius’ commented in an interview with the Washington Post on May 9th: “It is a mockery, a tragedy. Everybody knows who will be the winner. The opposition is not authorized to run. There have been 150,000 killed. And Russia is supporting it.”

The Friends of Syria Core 11 countries stated on April 3, “elections organized by the Assad regime would be a parody of democracy, would reveal the regime’s rejection of the basis of the Geneva talks, and would deepen the division in Syria.”

Activists within Syria have dubbed the ‘elections’ – Blood Elections – and an international movement on social media #BloodElections, is currently underway. Facebook pages in English & Arabic.