Stephen Lendman

On May 7, 2012, first ever parliamentary elections were held - a milestone political event with independent and opposition candidates participating.

Despite ongoing war and turbulence, turnout was high. Voting went smoothly. Independent monitors supervising the process called it open, free and fair.

For Syrians, it was historic. Ba'ath party members won a 60% majority. Previously they held just over 50% control. With support from independent MPs, they comprise a 90% majority, expressing the will of the people. Opposition party members were also elected.

As expected, Washington, rogue partners and supportive media scoundrels called the elections illegitimate - recognizing ones won by pro-Western regimes alone.

April 13-held quadrennial general election results haven’t been officially announced - expected to show a similar outcome as last time.

Overwhelming government backing shows unity against US-led foreign aggression, support for Syrian sovereign independence, and determination to preserve it.

After voting on Wednesday, Assad issued a statement, saying “the Syrian people are engaged in a war that has been going on for five years, through which terrorism managed to shed innocent blood and destroy much infrastructure, but it failed in achieving the primary goal it was assigned, which is destroying the principle structure in Syria, meaning the social structure of the national identity.”

“This is why the terrorists’ employers and masters moved in a parallel direction under a political headline whose main goal is to undermine this social structure and undermine the national identity, which are expressed by the constitution.”

“The Syrian people have been aware during the past years of that point, which is why we saw the citizens’ enthusiasm to participate in all previous constitutional requirements whether they were the presidential elections or the legislative elections, and this is what we see today as well with the wide-scale participation by all elements of society, particularly in the matter of running for the elections, as this year saw an unprecedented number compared to any parliamentary elections in Syria throughout the past decades.”

Widespread participation reflects the will of Syrians to live free, the suffering they’ve endured at the hands of US-led aggressors, using death squad proxies to do their dirty work, their determination to preserve national sovereignty, along with respect and honor for martyrs who sacrificed their lives defending their homeland.

Russia is on the right side of history, supporting the right of Syrians to live free from foreign oppression and dominance.

America is exceptional only in its rage to rape and destroy, turn nations to rubble, loot their resources, defy international law and mock democratic values - while claiming it’s the indispensable world leader.

Humanity’s fate hangs in the balance.

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Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks World War III".

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com.

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