Syria to Hold Presidential Election on May 26

Syria will hold a presidential election on May 26, the country’s parliament speaker announced on Sunday. The vote comes amid the country’s devastating civil war. President Bashar Assad has not announced that he will run for reelection. He won election in 2014, three years into the long-running civil war, with almost 90 percent of the vote. Syrian presidents are limited to two seven-year terms except for the president elected in 2014, Reuters reported., citing the country’s 2012 constitution.

Millions of Syrians displaced by the civil war will be unable to cast ballots. Opposition figures who are living in exile will be ineligible to run in the election, according to the report. Candidates can hand in applications, which must be backed by at least 35 members of parliament, beginning on Monday.