I really don't think this election matters so I don't know what the west is moaning about. If Assad wins his presidency will end with him either being strung up like Sasdam because he wanted to fight till the end. In exile in Iran or North Korea because nobody else will give him sanctuary or he will be hiding in a pit just like Saddam. If a miracle happened and Assad lost he would declare the result invalid for some reason and he would bring in emergency powers to keep him in power just like Abbas did to overstay his presidency by around 4 years and counting