Syrian embassy requests permission to hold out-of-country presidential vote

AMMAN — The government has received a request from the Syrian embassy in Amman for allowing its nationals in the Kingdom to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, Government Spokesperson Mohammad Momani said on Monday.

“We are considering this request,” Momani told The Jordan Times without further elaboration on whether Jordan is leaning towards approval or rejection.

According to the latest official figures, around 1.3 million Syrians reside in Jordan.

Over 600,000 of them are registered as refugees, while the rest are not registered as some of them came to the country before the start of crisis in their homeland.

The upcoming Syrian presidential elections are slated for June 3, according to international news agencies, while Syrians residing abroad will cast their votes at their country’s embassies on May 28.

Currently, three candidates are running for the elections, including incumbent President Bashar Assad.

The other two are Maher Hajjar and Hassan Abdullah Al Nouri.

Activists say over 150,000 have been killed so far in the Syrian civil war, which started with anti-regime protests in 2011.