President Bashar al-Assad has “won” a third seven-year term in office

•President Bashar al-Assad has “won” a third seven-year term in office

•Most of the observers expressed support for the government and President Bashar al-Assad

•Al-Arabiya TV claimed that the government had flown supporters from outside the country to vote and had given money or favors in exchange for a ballot in President Assad’s favor

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has “won” a third seven-year term in office, with a reported 88.7 percent of the vote.

Voting took place Tuesday in parts of Syria controlled by the government, but was boycotted by opposition groups in areas they control. Officials say voter turnout was 73 percent.

Election observers from several countries, including Syria’s allies Iran, Russia and Venezuela, told Syrian TV that voting at polling stations that they monitored appeared to go smoothly. Most of the observers expressed support for the government and President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Arabiya TV, which supports the Syrian opposition, claimed that the government had flown supporters from outside the country to vote and had given money or favors in exchange for a ballot in President Assad’s favor.