President Bashar Assad was sworn in Tuesday for a second, seven-year term in office. The Syrian leader took the oath of office before the 250-seat People’s Assembly, or parliament, to a thunderous applause by legislators.
Assad was re-elected May 27 by 97.62 percent of the votes in a referendum boycotted by the opposition and dismissed by critics as a sham. He was the only candidate in the “No” or “Yes” vote. Assad, a British-educated ophthalmologist, came to power in 2000, succeeding his father, the late Hafez Assad. (AP)
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