The next parliamentary election will be held in April, but Mr Assad's Baath party and its allies are guaranteed two-thirds of the 250 seats, and there is little popular interest, as the primary role of the parliament is to rubber-stamp presidential decrees. The parliament proposes a presidential candidate every seven years who is then voted on in a referendum. Mr Assad was confirmed for his second term as president in 2007 and is expected to stand for re-election in 2014.