A Lebanese politician who recently returned from a visit to Damascus told Al-Monitor that the Syrian presidential elections scheduled for June 3 have become almost the sole concern of officials there. According to this source, the elections are the only thing Syrian leaders are talking about, and their only interest is in the results.
Of course, this doesn't mean the actual results of the vote, because it appears to be a foregone conclusion that the mandate of President Bashar al-Assad will be renewed. Rather, they are concerned about the political and diplomatic impact on the course of events: How will external parties deal with the reality that emerges? What will Westerners do when it is confirmed that their adversary, Assad, will remain in power, in a legal and legitimate manner? How will the Geneva conference mechanism continue or end?
