Syria Parliament Speaker Urges Mass Turnout in Presidential Vote

Syrian authorities on Sunday urged a mass turnout in a June 3 presidential election branded a "farce" by the opposition.

"Whoever abstains from exercising his constitutional duty would be turning his back on his national obligation at a time when his nation is calling on him," parliament speaker Mohammed al-Lahham said.

The exiled opposition has dismissed the election as a "farce", while the United States has branded it a "parody of democracy."

However, a state-tolerated opposition group called for an election boycott "in solidarity" with Syrians unable to vote.

"We hope that all the Syrian people will be able to exercise their right to boycott this election," said the group, set up in September 2011 after the start of the uprising.

The movement Building the Syrian State said the election was "illegal" because half of the population had been displaced.

The polls would only lead to another "authoritarian regime" because of the "absolute powers" granted to the presidency under the constitution, it said.

Assad, running for a third seven-year term against two virtual unknowns, is expected to stroll to victory in the poll.

Lahham called for unspecified measures "to guarantee a climate of security and peace" during the vote.

More than 150,000 people have been killed since Syria's war broke out in March 2011 with protests demanding political change, before morphing into a bloody insurgency after Assad's regime unleashed a massive crackdown.