Bashar al-Assad is the president of Syria and regional secretary of the Ba'ath Party. Al-Assad was elected in 2000 and re-elected unopposed in 2007.
Bashar al-Assad has been criticised for a disregard for human rights, economic lapses and corruption in his domestic policy. He was also criticised for Syria's presence in Lebanon that ended in 2005, which partly led to the US putting sanctions on Syria.
The Syrian president has snubbed UN claims of bloody repression in his country. Bashar al-Assad rebelliously rejected allegations from around the world that his government was waging a crackdown on protesters.
