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Syria announces date for presidential election

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made a rare trip outside the capital Damascus. Credit: Instagram/syrianpresidency

Syria will hold a presidential election on 3rd June, state media reported, setting the date for a vote likely to give President Bashar al-Assad a third term.

Assad is battling a three-year-old rebellion against his rule. International powers who back his opponents have described plans to hold the election as a "parody of democracy".