Syria’s presidential election began on Wednesday in government-controlled areas across Syria. Polling stations opened in the morning and the voting is expected to last the whole day. Over 12,000 polling stations had been set up across the country. Three candidates are running in the election, namely President Bashar al-Assad, former Deputy Cabinet Minister Abdallah Saloum Abdallah, and Mahmoud Ahmed Marei, head of a small Syrian opposition party.