DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT
That claim is highly contested, actually..
The Gulf Cooperation Council, the European Union and the United States dismissed the election as illegitimate.[11][12][13][14] Members of this coalition have been condemned for precipitating the civil war through the invasion of Syria which is illegal under international law, the UN charter and for providing material and financial support for the terrorist groups Al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.[15][16][17][18][19][20] Attempts to hold an election under the circumstances of an ongoing civil war were criticized by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon,[21] and it was widely reported that the elections lacked independent election monitoring.[22] However, an international delegation led by allies of Assad[23] from countries including Brazil, Iran, Russia, and Venezuela[24] issued a statement claiming the election was "free, fair and transparent".[25] [...] The conditions required to be a candidate in a presidential election are the following:
- A candidate must be Muslim
- A candidate must have the support of no less than 35 members of the parliament
- A candidate must be 34 years old or older
- A candidate must have lived in Syria for 10 years before the election
- A candidate must be Syrian by birth, of parents who are Syrians by birth
- A candidate must not be married to a non-Syrian spouse
[...] A total of 24 candidates, including 2 women and a Christian, submitted applications to the Supreme Constitutional Court for the presidency.[40][41][42] Of these, two candidates other than Assad met all the conditions to run, including the support of 35 members of the parliament.[43] The two other candidates chosen to run are seen as "mostly symbolic contenders" and "little known figures"[1]