TEHRAN, May 24 (MNA) – In an exclusive interview with Mehr news, one of the three candidates for the upcoming Presidential elections, Mahmoud Ahmad Mar'ai, said that the ground is prepared for holding free elections in the country."Conditions are set for holding free elections in Syria, based on international standards," he told Mehr news.
"These elections are to take place while Syria is going through many crises," he said, "but the Syrian people have freedom of action to participate in these elections." He noted that this is the first time in the contemporary history of Syria that the opposition party has been allowed to have a candidate in the elections. "I am the candidate of the Syrian Democratic People's Party and have presented my future plans in my campaign," he said.
At the same time, I did not face any problems or challenges with appearing in the Syrian, Arabic, and international media," the candidate added, expressing content about the ongoing positive trend in Syrian elections and the freedom of the opposition party to discuss its views in media. He announced that: "I opposed the occupation of Syria by the US, the Israeli regime, and Turkish forces.
In case of being elected, I will expel the occupiers from Syria, either through peaceful means or through national resistance." "The occupiers are stealing Syrian resources, including wheat, oil, gas, and cotton," he underscored, "Accordingly, Syria has to import petroleum products from Iran, Venezuela or Russia." "I do believe that the issue of Palestine is the most important issue of the Arab and Islamic world.
I support resistance against the Zionist occupiers because the Arab-Zionist battle is a strategic battle," Mar'ai said. "If I become president, I will have strategic relations with Tehran and the relations between the two countries will continue.
I thank Iran for its supportive role.
While some Arab countries were working against us, Tehran supported us," he added. Presidential elections will be held in the Syrian Arab Republic on 26 May 2021, with expatriates able to vote in some foreign embassies on 20 May The three candidates are incumbent President Bashar al-Assad, Abdullah Sallum Abdullah, and Mahmoud Ahmad Marei. HJ/5219377