Syria Expatriates Challenge French, Belgian Election Ban Decisions, Come to Syria to Vote for Their Presidential Candidate

DAMASCUS COUNTRYSIDE, (ST)-A delegation representing the Syrian communities in France and Belgium arrived today morning at the Jdeidet Yabous crossing in Damascus Countryside to take part in voting in the Syrian presidential elections due to be held tomorrow.

In an unfair decision, the French and Belgian governments, which claim democracy, had prevented the Syrians in their countries from voting in the presidential elections held on the French and Belgian lands.

The move of the Syrian community’s delegation came in response to the illegal French and Belgium decision which confiscated the Syrians’ right to choose their president at their embassies abroad. It affirms the high sense of national responsibility of every Syrian citizen towards practicing their constitutional right and duty in making Syria’s future.

Members of the delegation talked to SANA reporter about the obstacles which faced them at the airports of these countries “such as the cancelling of reservations and flights without mentioning any reasons in addition to the ill treatment particularly after the airport authorities knew that they were travelling to Syria to take part in the presidential elections.

Head of the “Expatriates for Syria” grouping Omran al-Khatieb said that “the French government prevented us from practicing our electoral right in France so we came to Syria be among our people and vote for our hoped-for president.”

“We came to cast our ballots and practice the democracy which the west has nothing to do with,” al-Khatieb added.

Riyad Naser, a Syrian doctor coming from Belgium, said “we are here to express our gratitude and appreciation for the Syrian people’s steadfastness and insistence to practice their legitimate right of voting in these democratic elections.”

Dhafer Shehadeh, also coming from Belgium, said “We came to vote for our presidential candidate despite the obstacles and troubles we faced to stress our support to this democratic process. He affirmed that the western democracy is false as it appears only in the media while it is actually embodied in stealing the Libyan oil and other Arab resources.”

Fatima Ghrewati al-Jad’an, who came from France, asserted that “Syria is the home of freedom and democracy”.

“We came to back our great homeland and brave Syrian army which is attaining many achievements in its battle against terrorism,” she said.  

 H. Mustafa