2000 Syrian presidential election
A Presidential referendum was held in Syria on 10 July 2000, following the death of President Hafez al-Assad. The candidate, chosen by the parliament, was his son, Bashar al-Assad, with voters then asked to approve or reject his candidacy. A reported 99.7% of voters voted in favour, with a turnout of 94.6%. Background. After the death of President Hafez al-Assad on June 10, the Syrian parliament voted to amend the Constitution to lower the minimum age for presidential candidates from 40 to 34, Bashar al-Assad's age at the time. 2000 Syrian