Syrian candidates launch campaigns ahead of parliamentary election

Record ID: 1562602

  • Title: Syrian candidates launch campaigns ahead of parliamentary election
  • Date: 16th July 2020
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SYRIAN PARLIAMENT CANDIDATE, MIRIANA HADDAD, SAYING: "In my opinion, social media is more important and stronger (than traditional campaigning methods) because it reaches everybody, young and old. All people are using their mobile phones. For example, I walk in the street and I see a normal picture (of candidate in banner) so I might not remember the name but on social media there is repetition, there are groups, there is Instagram, and WhatsApp. Your friends help you. This means that only a post can reach 10,000 or 50,000 people. But the banners in the street cost millions and (people) barely walk past them." DAMASCUS, SYRIA (JULY 16, 2020) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF ELECTION BANNERS / PEOPLE AND TRAFFIC
  • Embargoed: 30th July 2020 14:12
  • Keywords: Bashar al-Assad Parliament election Politics Security Syria War in Syria
  • Location: DAMASCUS, SYRIA AND INTERNET
  • City: DAMASCUS, SYRIA AND INTERNET
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Government/Politics,Elections/Voting
  • Reuters ID: LVA007CN27JH1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Banners are filling up the streets of the Syrian capital Damascus, ahead of parliamentary elections set to be held next week.
    The long-awaited election was originally scheduled for April, but postponed twice due to coronavirus restrictions. They are the first to be held since the government regained control of most of the country's territories.
    The previous parliamentary elections took place in 2016, when the Syrian government had no control on vast areas around Deraa, Damascus and Aleppo's suburbs.
    This year, the Syrian Central Bank said it would not give loans to candidates to finance their electoral campaigns, pushing some candidates like Miriana Haddad to move their campaigns online.
    She told her supporters and potential voters that she cannot afford the money needed to launch traditional electoral campaigns.
    More than 1,650 candidates are competing for 250 seats in the Syrian parliament.
    (Production: Kinda Makieh, Firas Makdesi)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2020. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register