Syrians residing in Lebanon cast early votes for the upcoming presidential election at the Syrian Embassy on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Thursday. A Syrian former minister and a member of the opposition will face President Bashar al-Assad in the May 26 presidential election. The last presidential elections in 2014 were the first such multi-candidate polls in Syria, but only two other candidates were approved. Assad won with an official 88 percent of the vote. Photo: AFP