Syria's Supreme Constitutional Court Finalizes List of Candidates for Presidential Election

A picture of President Bashar al-Assad in Arnous Square in Damascus yesterday (AFP)
A picture of President Bashar al-Assad in Arnous Square in Damascus yesterday (AFP)
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Syria's Supreme Constitutional Court Finalizes List of Candidates for Presidential Election

A picture of President Bashar al-Assad in Arnous Square in Damascus yesterday (AFP)
A picture of President Bashar al-Assad in Arnous Square in Damascus yesterday (AFP)

Syria's Supreme Constitutional Court has accepted three candidates for the presidential elections, including Abdullah Salloum Abdullah, Bashar Hafez al-Assad and Mahmoud Ahmad Marai.

The Chief of the Supreme Constitutional Court, Mohammad Jihad al-Laham, announced earlier that the court received six applications of complaint by the candidates whose applications to run for election were rejected.

He noted that the Court General Panel studied the complaints but rejected them.

He added that the court set the election campaign for the candidates from May 16 to 24.

The elections will be held for expatriates at Syrian consulates and embassies on May 20, and for the Syrians inside the country on May 26.

Notably, 51 people had submitted their applications for the elections.

Abdullah, 1956, from Aleppo, is a member of the Socialist Unionist Party and a member of the parliament for two cycles.

Marai, 1957, from Damascus countryside, is the head of the Arab Organization for Human Rights and secretary-general of the National Front for the Liberation of Syria.

Assad, 1965, was elected as a president in 2001, 2007, and 2014.



US Sanctions Russia-Based Network for Helping Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)
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US Sanctions Russia-Based Network for Helping Yemen’s Houthis

Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)
Houthi supporters attend a protest against US airstrikes on Houthi positions, on al-Quds Day in Sanaa, Yemen, 28 March 2025. (EPA)

The United States imposed sanctions on Wednesday on Russia-based people and entities working to help procure weapons and commodities - including stolen Ukrainian grain - for Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis, the Treasury Department said.

The operatives, who included Russia-based Afghan businessman Hushang Ghairat and his brother, Russia-based Afghan businessman Sohrab Ghairat, helped senior Houthi official Sa’id al-Jamal, procure millions of dollars’ worth of commodities from Russia for shipment to Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen, Treasury said.

The goods included weapons and sensitive goods, as well as stolen Ukrainian grain, the department said in a statement.

"The Houthis remain reliant on Sa’id al-Jamal and his network to procure critical goods to supply the group’s terrorist war machine," said Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "Today’s action underscores our commitment to degrading the Houthis’ ability to threaten the region through their destabilizing activities."