Election/rally

Tens of thousands of Syrians in Lebanon flocked to their embassy in Yarze, near Beirut, on Wednesday to cast their ballots in the presidential election, the first to take place since the Syrian uprising began in 2011. Even though there were officially three candidates, at times the elections looked more like a rally for President Bashar al-Assad, who is running for his third term in office. Some voters came by bus with posters of the incumbent pasted on the windows. Some chanted slogans in support of the president. Ballots with the pictures of the three candidates were distributed to people waiting outside the embassy; Assad’s image came first. Polling booths were out in the open, allowing little privacy for voting. The elections were heavily criticized by some in the Syrian opposition who argued that people went to vote out of fear of retribution. Meanwhile, the March 14 general secretariat called for