Assad's Adviser Says Syrian Legislative Elections 'Absolutely Timely'


TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Parliamentary elections in Syria scheduled for April 13 are entirely appropriate, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s adviser said on Saturday.

"It is absolutely timely because parliamentary elections are regulated by the Constitution. It states that elections must be held before mid-May," Bouthaina Shaaban said in a televised interview on Russia’s Vesti v Subbotu weekly news program, Sputnik News reported.

Shaaban reminded of presidential elections held in Syria in June 2014 and reiterated that "the country must live normally, in accordance with the law."

Assad signed a decree on Monday setting April 13 as the next date for the election of the members of the People’s Council.

The announcement came minutes after Russia and the United States reached an agreement on a ceasefire between Syrian government and opposition forces that took effect in the early hours of Saturday.