Bashar Assad was sworn in on Saturday for his fourth seven-year term as the President of Syria. The ceremony that was held at the presidential palace was attended by a number of public figures from the army, religious, and political wings.
The country has been battling unrest for a decade due to a civil war that has claimed the lives of over 400,000 people. The majority of the population is also in absolute poverty due to the arrest that was sparked in 2011.
With this new term, Bashar Asad will be making 28 years in power having sat in the seat of power in 2000 after his father you had been in power since 1970 passed on. Though Bashar Asad’s election is considered democratic; it has been criticized as illegitimate not only by the opposition wing in his country but also the western election observers