Syrians go to polls in election ‘charade’

Waving photos of their leader and dancing with flags, tens of thousands of Syrians pledged renewed allegiance to President Bashar al-Assad as they voted across government-controlled parts of the country in a presidential election decried by the opposition as a charade.

Even as crowds of Assad’s supporters flocked to the polls in Damascus, the sounds of war were inescapable.

The dull sounds of explosions reverberated in the distance as pro-government forces and rebels battled in nearby rural towns and ashy plumes of grey smoke marked the skyline. Several mortar hits were reported in the capital, though the voting was largely peaceful.