(VOVworld) – The Syrian People’s Council said on Monday that it had invited lawmakers from 11 “friendly countries”, including Russia, China, India, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Armenia, to attend the June 3 presidential elections.

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows mainly Syrian youth, some holding placards bearing a portrait of President Bashar al-Assad, as they rally in the capital Damascus, on April 7, 2014, to mark the 67th anniversary of the establishment of the Baath Party. (Photo: AFP)

Mohammad al-Lahham, speaker of the Council, said that the election would be held in the manner of “democracy, freedom, and competitiveness”. The timing of the presidential polls has raised ire among the opposition and Western countries. The incumbent President Bashar al-Assad and other 2 politicians were accepted by the Syrian Supreme Constitutional Court as candidates for the presidential election. Syrian public opinion believes that President Bashar al-Assad was likely to win the election as the other 2 candidates are not well-known in Syrian political circles.
The White House also said that it would recognise the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) and grant aid worth millions of dollars to the Syrian opposition.