The Syrian presidential campaigns have officially started on Sunday as posters of President Bashar al-Assad and the two other candidates filled the squares and streets in the capital Damascus. Under the theme Hope is in Work, Assad has started his campaign where his posters, most of which were presented by Syrian businessmen and celebrities, filled the main streets in Damascus and other provinces. His two competitors, Mahmoud Muri and Abdullah Saloum Abdullah, have got fewer posters in comparison due to the popularity of Assad. Muri, a lawyer and a member of the Syria-based opposition, has started his campaign under the banner Together with a prominent slogan speaking about the need to release all political detainees. For Abdullah, the third candidate who was also a member of the Syrian parliament and a former state minister, his campaign features slogans about investments. The election day is slated for May 20 for Syrians abroad and May 26 for Syrians inside the country amid street banners urging people to take part in the vote for the future of Syria.
