After three years of grinding conflict, the destruction of whole city districts and an exodus of refugees all triggered by an uprising against his rule, President Bashar Assad is quietly preparing to be re-elected.
The Syrian president has not yet officially announced whether he will run for a third term, in defiance of protesters, rebel fighters and Western foes who have demanded he go, but in state-controlled parts of Damascus preparations for his candidacy are unmistakable.
Public gatherings have become platforms to urge the president to nominate himself, despite a continuing civil war that has killed more than 140,000 people, fractured the country and destroyed any chance of a credible vote being held.