Syrian president Bashar Assad intends to remain in power until 2021

Syrian President Bashar Assad said he intended to run the country till the end of his third term in 2021, APA reports quoting Sputnik.   There was no possibility of political changes till the government forces won the war and the general state of the social fabric in Syria was "much better, that before" the war, Assad was quoted as saying by The New York Times.   In July 2000, Assad came to power for the first time, gaining 97.3 percent of votes in the referendum on election of the head of state. In May 2007, Assad got the presidential post for the second time, winning 97.62 percent of votes in the national referendum.   In June 2014, Assad received 88.7 percent of votes and won the presidential elections, given this was the first time several candidates contested for the post. Since 2011, Syria has been in a state of civil war, with government forces fighting opposition groups who seek to overthrow Assad's government.   According to the United Nations, 300,000 Syrians died during the war.
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