Syria Election Organized Properly, Voter Turnout is High – Russian CEC Member

A Russian Central Election Commission (CEC) member, Anton Lopatin, who has already visited several polling stations in Damascus and is now preparing to leave for Latakia, has noted that the presidential elections in Syria have already drawn a high voter turnout and have been organized properly, Voice Of Russia reported.

“All of the necessary arrangements have been made. The voters’ activity is very high. At the moment, we are at the airport, where a polling station is working as well. People are coming there, including from abroad, in order casting their ballots. There is a feeling that it is a major holiday for the people here,” Lopatin told Interfax over the phone on Tuesday.

Lopatin is working within a delegation made of Russian State Duma deputies and senators monitoring the Syrian polls.

According to the Russian CEC member, he was leaving for Latakia, Syria’s key port city, while Russia’s parliamentarians are staying in the Syrian capital.

“They may travel to the outskirts of Damascus,” he said.

More than 15 million Syrians will be able to cast their vote in 11,000 ballot boxes distributed in more than 9,000 offices.

Observers from countries allied to the Assad – North Korea, Iran and Russia – are to supervise the voting.

Russia is keen on restoring peace in Syria because it wants to prove to the United States that the methods utilized in Middle East countries cannot reach Moscow, Syrian presidential election observer, Federation Council member Igor Morozov said, according to Interfax reports.

“I do not want the US to be under the illusion it may bring such methods to half of the world and reach Russia. Therefore, we are working on long distances. Syria is an outpost of statehood in the fight against armed revolts,” Morozov said in an interview published by Izvestia on Monday.

Russia is concerned about the trend of the armed opposition fighting the legitimate president and parliament with massive support from radicalized governments, the parliamentarian said.

“Our primary objective on the day of the vote, June 3, is to control the compliance with international standards of voting rights in Syria. When the ballot is over, we will participate in the drawing up of a report about the election legitimacy,” the parliamentarian said.

In his opinion, the presidential election is a good occasion for the Syrian government to start a solution to the crisis in Syria, and attain security and stability.

R.S