Above: Brig. Gen. Salami speaking at an event earlier this week
According to Mehr News Agency (28MAY14):
Brig. Gen. Hossein Salami told Mehr News that Syrian government lead on battlefields had made possible holding presidential elections and would indicate that terrorists were in decline in terms of sweep.
Asked for his evaluation of Syrian developments, Salami said that the Syrian government was able to loom large in battlefields and the balance of power is heavy for the Syrian government’s side.
“This victory in battle fields was the reason of launching the elections in Syria and in a political process which shows the terrorists and their supporters in decline of power and hopefully the decline would continue,” said Salami.IRGC Deputy Commander Brig. Gen. Salami's comments offer an indirect form of Iranian corroboration for data studied by NATO, which last year reported figures of up to 70 percent support for the Syrian government. This level of support can only have been strengthened by recent successes on the battlefield.
Expat voting in foreign locations indicate the potential for a relatively high turnout when voting subsequently takes place in government-held territory within Syria. In ways, this may somewhat mirror the American presidential election of 1864, which was also conducted during a civil war. In this historical example, polling centers were likewise provided in government supported territory, and where also government success on the battlefield translated into electoral success for the incumbent president, Abraham Lincoln.
Above: Syrians voting for president at the Syrian embassy in Tehran
Photos: Tasnim News Agency
