Assad to run for Syria presidency

Syrian President Bashar Assad

Syria’s Parliament Speaker said President Bashar Assad has declared his candidacy for the June 3 presidential elections.

Speaker Jihad Laham made the announcement on state-run television on Monday.

Mr. Assad, who has ruled the country since taking over from his father in 2000, was widely expected to run for a third seven-year term in office.

Six other contenders are in the race, but they are mostly expected to give the election a veneer of legitimacy.