DAMASCUS (Dispatches) -- Bashar al-Assad has been re-elected for a fourth term as president of Syria with 95.1 percent of the votes cast across the country, official results showed.
Wednesday’s presidential election was the second since the beginning of a foreign-backed war on Syria a decade ago, that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, forced millions to leave the country and wrecked its infrastructure.
Head of parliament Hammouda Sabbagh announced the results at a news conference on Thursday, saying voter turnout was about 78 percent, with more than 14 million Syrians taking part.
Standing against al-Assad were former deputy cabinet minister Abdallah Salloum Abdallah and Mahmud Ahmad Marei, a member of the opposition. Marei got 3.3 percent of the vote, while Salloum received 1.5 percent, Sabbagh said.
On the eve of the election, the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy claimed that the poll was “neither free nor fair”, an allegation dismissed by Syria.
As the election results were announced, tens of thousands of Syrians gathered in various cities to celebrate. Some danced and beat drums, while others waved Syrian flags and carried pictures of President Assad.
Tens of thousands of people in Tartus province gathered at the city’s seafront to celebrate Assad’s expected win. Thousands of others rallied in the coastal city of Latakia and in Umayyad Square in the capital Damascus.
Celebrations were also under way in Aleppo and in Sweida, in Syria’s south, where a large crowd gathered in front of the city hall.
Houwayda al-Nidal, a 52-year-old doctor, told AFP news agency that

Assad’s victory “carries two messages”.
The first is that of a leader who has won the war and will lead the reconstruction, he said, and “the second is intended for foreigners to show who will lead the political talks after the end of the fighting on the ground”.
The election was held Wednesday, with long queues forming outside polling stations, which remained open five hours past the planned closing time.
The vote took place amid the lowest levels of violence since the war erupted in 2011.
Assad’s campaign slogan, “Hope through work”, evoked the colossal reconstruction needed to rebuild the country, requiring billions of dollars in funding.
Assad was first elected by referendum in 2000 after the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, who had ruled Syria for 30 years.
Iran, Russia and China on Friday separately congratulated Assad for achieving a landslide victory.
In a statement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry also congratulated the resilient Syrian nation.
“The successful holding of the election and the Syrian people’s massive turnout is an important step in establishing peace, stability and tranquility as well as Syria’s reconstruction and development,” said the statement.
Iran, it said, respects the Syrian people’s decision and supports their right to determine the Arab country’s fate “without any foreign intervention”.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also welcomed Assad’s “decisive” victory. It said Moscow regards Syria’s presidential election as an “important step” toward strengthening stability in the country.
The ministry said Western statements calling into question the validity of the election even before it was held was “an element of blatant political pressure on Damascus and another attempt to interfere in the internal affairs of Syria with the aim to destabilize it.”
“No one has the right to dictate to Syrians when and under what conditions they should elect their head of state,” it said.
“Russia, for its part, is determined to continue pursuing a firm policy aimed at supporting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity, as well as provide the country with comprehensive assistance in restoring socio-economic infrastructure and eliminating other negative consequences of the prolonged conflict.”
In a message to Assad published by the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin also congratulated his Syrian counterpart.
“The vote results fully confirmed your high political authority and the confidence of your fellow citizens in the course taken under your leadership to stabilize the situation in Syria as soon as possible,” Putin said.
Meanwhile, Beijing congratulated Assad on his reelection, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said Friday, adding China supports Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity.
“This year marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Syria featured by longstanding friendship,” Zhao said at a regular press conference.
“China firmly supports Syria’s efforts in safeguarding its national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and stands ready to work with Syria to take the 65th anniversary as an opportunity to achieve new progress in our friendly cooperation,” he added.