Syrian President Bashar Al Assad during his visit to the predominantly Christian city of Maaloula on April 20. Sanaa / EPA
Syrian President Bashar Al Assad during his visit to the predominantly Christian city of Maaloula on April 20. Sanaa / EPA

A coronation not an election, says Syrian refugee



BEIRUT // It was with tired exasperation that Abu Mohammad, a Syrian exile living in Beirut, greeted the news that Syria’s widely anticipated presidential vote would take place on June 3.

“Everywhere the media is referring to it as an ‘election’, they shouldn’t use the word, it’s not an election, it’s a coronation,” said the 35-year-old, who fled Damascus earlier this year. “It’s another reminder that the regime has won the public relations battle — the media uses its words”.

Syria’s parliament announced the date for the vote on Monday.

Already, observers consider it a piece of theatre designed to make it look as though Syria has a division of power between executive and legislature, independent institutions of state, and a leader who is answerable to his people.

It has none of those things.

President Bashar Al Assad, 48, who has ruled for 14 years without ever facing a contested vote, just as his father ruled for decades before him, willingly burnt his country to the ground to maintain power when his people dared question him.

Syrian legislators were told, “go home, we’ll call your mothers if we want to speak to you” when, in 2011 after the uprising began, some MPs sought a serious debate about political reform.

Syria is run by a corrupt network of mafia-like family connections and fearsome, unaccountable security agencies. Parliament, government, and these latest elections are all part of the same hollow front.

For Syrians who have fled the fighting the most remarkable thing about the announcement is that, four years into an uprising that has killed 150,000 people, the regime is still in a position to go on with its theatre of the absurd.

“We thought Assad would have gone by now, first we thought it would take a few months, then a year, then we said OK, some deal has been done by the Americans and Russians to let him stay until 2014. Now we realise he actually plans to stay president until he dies, as his father did,” said Abu Mohammad.

Rather than return to his shattered country, Abu Mohammad, a university graduate from an influential family, is planning to move to the West, seeing no future and no hope in the land of his birth.

The ridiculousness of suggesting it is possible to hold a vote in Syria now, let alone one pretending to be free and fair, was underscored as parliament met in Damascus on Monday to set the date.

Mortar bombs, fired by rebels, exploded near the ministry of health in Hamra Street — a major shopping thoroughfare — while hundreds of security men were deployed in the vicinity of the parliament building, to stop dissenters getting close.

How the regime can hope to secure polling centres nationwide is clear: It has no intention of even trying to.

Vast areas of the country are outside of regime control, a third of the population is displaced and that insecurity prevents the distribution of essentials like food, water and polio vaccines, let alone ballot boxes and voting cards; all of this is of no relevance to a regime intent only on self-preservation.

The next piece of theatre is easy enough to foresee.

Sometime before May 1, Mr Al Assad will humbly announce that, in response to popular demand, he is willing to consider remaining in place for another seven years.

And then on June 3 he will win the ‘election’.

No doubt, he also expects to win the one after that, seven years further down the line.

psands@thenational.ae

If you go
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How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2A)
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THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder

Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)

Power: 141bhp 

Torque: 250Nm 

Price: Dh64,500

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Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

Opening Premier League fixtures, August 14
  • Brentford v Arsenal
  • Burnley v Brighton
  • Chelsea v Crystal Palace
  • Everton v Southampton
  • Leicester City v Wolves
  • Manchester United v Leeds United
  • Newcastle United v West Ham United
  • Norwich City v Liverpool
  • Tottenham v Manchester City
  • Watford v Aston Villa
Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.

The Matrix Resurrections

Director: Lana Wachowski

Stars:  Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick 

Rating:****

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

The%20specs
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The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars

- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes

- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Major honours

ARSENAL

  • FA Cup - 2005

BARCELONA

  • La Liga - 2013
  • Copa del Rey - 2012
  • Fifa Club World Cup - 2011

CHELSEA

  • Premier League - 2015, 2017
  • FA Cup - 2018
  • League Cup - 2015

SPAIN

  • World Cup - 2010
  • European Championship - 2008, 2012
Company%20profile
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