Assad wins Syrian election dismissed as farce by critics

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Bashar al-Assad will serve a fourth term in office after winning Syria’s presidential election.

Parliamentary speaker Hammouda Sabbagh told a live conference that Mr Assad had won 95.1% of the vote, and that turnout was 78.6%.

His two challengers, Abdullah Salloum Abdullah and Mahmoud Ahmed Mari, gained 1.5% and 3.3% of the vote respectively.

Syria’s opposition called the vote a farce, while the US and European countries said it was not free or fair.

As he cast his ballot