Bleipriester
Freedom!
- Thread starter
- #41
That´s the case in Syria.President Assad´s overwhelming popularity cannot be abused to "prove" it wasn´t a democratic election. The election was a clear validation of Assad´s presidency and even if the system would allow terrorist candidates, what it doesn´t for obvious reasons, the result would be exactly the same.Get informed before you post something. Over 11 million out of 15 million eligible voters voted and the international observers said it was a democratic and fair election.
In order to even be a candidate you had to have wide support within parliament. This ensured that only Assad could win. He had no real opposition because true opposition was not allowed to exist. Calling this democracy would be like calling Zimbabwe's government democratic.
As for the rules about how a candidate can run, it is reasonable that at least a part of the people´s representation should support him.
Placing scores of restrictions on who can run and how and then claiming that the results would have been exactly the same in an open election during peacetime is pretty dishonest. That's not the way that democracy works.
Do you think life would be better for Syrians under the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood?
I think that the Syrian people have a right to the freedom of expression and the freedom of speech as well as the right to engage politically within a robust, representative, and accountable central government.
Article 34 of the Syrian constitution:
Every citizen shall have the right to participate in the political, economic, social and cultural life and the law shall regulate this.
Article 42 of the Syrian constitution:
1. Freedom of belief shall be protected in accordance with the law;
2. Every citizen shall have the right to freely and openly express his views whether in writing or orally or by all other means of expression.
Article 43 of the Syrian constitution:
The state shall guarantee freedom of the press, printing and publishing, the media and its independence in accordance with the law.
Article 44 of the Syrian constitution:
Citizens shall have the right to assemble, peacefully demonstrate and to strike from work within the framework of the Constitution principles, and the law shall regulate the exercise of these rights.