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Syrian expats in Jordan to vote for president in embassy

16 May 2014 01:32 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The Syrian embassy in Amman will open its doors for Syrians residing in Jordan to cast their ballots in the upcoming Syrian presidential elections, slated for May 28, the state-run Petra news agent reported on Thursday, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

Some 1.3 million Syrian refugees are currently living in Jordan, accounting for about 20 percent of the country's population, the Jordanian government said earlier in May, adding that those refugees have brought a hung amount of pressure on the country in terms of water, energy and health service.

It's Syria's first multi-candidate presidential elections after 40 years of rule by the family of incumbent President Bashar al- Assad.

Despite a strong show of support for Assad and the government- sponsored elections, Syria's opposition has continued to reject the legitimacy of the process amid the ongoing crisis in the country, citing that millions of Syrians who have been internally and externally displaced and in other areas cannot participate in the voting.

Earlier on Tuesday France, the first European state to recognize Syrian opposition as the so-called sole representative of the Syrian government, said it will prevent Syrian people on its territories to cast their ballots for a new Syrian president amid the current civil war.