Local Editor

Election officials have started counting votes in a Syrian presidential election expected to deliver an overwhelming victory for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to win after voting closed on Tuesday night.

Syria state news agency reported that voting closed at midnight on Tuesday, where counting of votes started almost immediately. The result is expected to be announced on Thursday, according to a source close to the government.

Voting had been extended for five hours past the original deadline "because of the massive influx of voters," state-run media said. 

The balloting is widely expected to give Assad a third seven-year term in office. He is running up against two other candidates - Maher Abdul-Hafiz Hajjar, and Hassan bin Abdullah al-Nouri.

Al-Assad and his wife Asma also cast their votes in the country's presidential elections at a polling station in Damascus on Tuesday. 

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team