Syrian President Bashar al-Assad
was sworn into a second term of office for another seven years at
an extraordinary session of the People's Assembly (parliament) on
Tuesday morning.
Assad would then deliver a speech on Syria's external and
internal policy, stating its positions on current situations
in the region, particularly in Lebanon, the occupied Palestinian
territories and Iraq, in addition to the reform and modernization
process in the country.
In a referendum held in May, Assad won 97.62 percent of votes
which secured his mandate to start a second term.
Assad, a British-educated ophthalmologist, succeeded his late
father Hafez Assad in 2000. In his first referendum, he also
received more than 97 percent voter's support.