And now a word from the credible Nicholas Blanford

"Today's election is intended to give a fresh boost of legitimacy to President Bashar al-Assad. It signals to Syrians and the rest of the world that he is not a dictator fighting for his life and that of his regime against a popular opposition, but the elected leader of a country battling foreign-backed “terrorists.”"  I have not read such deep thought since I read the farewell speech of Michel Sulayman. (thanks Basim)