IDLIB, Syria

Thousands of people across Syria on Friday protested against the upcoming presidential election under the Assad regime.

Demonstrators gathered in al-Bab, Azaz and Idlib – all in northern Syria, areas outside Assad regime control – to oppose the so-called elections set to be held next week in the war-ravaged country.

Demonstrators held banners saying “Boycott the child killer’s elections," "Assad has no legitimacy," and "Regime election illegal."

“The election violates UN resolutions. Bashar al-Assad committed massacres all over Syria,” Ridvan Atras, a demonstrator in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency.

Rashid Hamdavi, another protester, said they oppose both the regime and the sham election.

“The Syrian revolution will continue until the Assad regime is toppled,” Hamdavi said.

The regime’s presidential election is set for May 26.

Assad has been the victor in every election since he took power in 2000 as heir to his father, Hafez al-Assad.

The decision to hold elections was made despite the ongoing military conflict, lack of any political solution in sight, failure of negotiations between the opposition and the regime, and the displacement of more than 10 million Syrians either as refugees or internally displaced persons.

Moreover, about 40% of the country is not under regime control.

Syria has been in a civil war since early 2011, when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity.

Around half a million people have been killed, and more than 12 million had to flee their homes in the past decade.

*Writing by Zehra Nur Duz.