Residents of Damascus expressed disappointment as government services, which were remarkably improved during the electoral campaign, have again worsened as the presidential elections ended.
During the electoral campaigns that lasted for more than a week and preceded the elections that took place on May 26, electricity supply in most areas of Damascus witnessed a noticeable improvement, as rationing was decreased from four hours of power cuts to only two hours, while drinking water was pumped 24 hours a day.
That period also witnessed a continuous activity of street cleaners, who worked all day long, removing garbage from main and secondary streets and avenues. The residents also noticed stability in the prices of vegetables, fruits and many foodstuffs.
However, one day after the announcement of the victory of President Bashar al-Assad for a fourth term with 95.1 percent of votes, the situation returned to ‘normal’, as power rationing severed surpassing sometimes four hours, with several cuts of 20-30 minutes during the supply hours.
In this regard, a high school teacher told Asharq Al-Awsat: “People know that the goal (of improving services) is to suggest that the situation in general is going to improve and motivate them to participate in the voting process.”
He continued: “What is happening confirms that there is no hope for any improvement and people will be more burdened due to the worsening crises of electricity, gas, bread, water, transportation, and other.”
A university student, for his part, spoke with bitter sarcasm, telling Asharq Al-Awsat: “Their concern was to mobilize people (on the day of the elections) and take photos of them… Showing these crowds on the screens requires electricity, and therefore the power supply was improved!”
While drinking water was pumped 24 hours per day to citizens’ homes before and during election campaigns, the Damascus Governorate recently announced a rationing program for all areas of the capital.
However, people were mostly surprised by the hike in the prices of vegetables and fruits. Those increased by 3-4 times compared to the prices seen during the electoral campaigns.
More than 90 percent of residents inside government-controlled areas live below the poverty line, and the problem of hunger is increasing day after day, with families’ monthly incomes continuing to lose a large part of their value, due to the record collapse of the exchange rate of the Syrian lira against the US dollar.
