The lawyer, Mahmoud Mari, described himself as the first opposition candidate for the Syrian presidency, considering that he is a real competitor in the presidential election play for the president of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad.

In an interview with the Associated Press that took place Tuesday in Damascus, Mari said that as an opponent of the government he still lives in Syria, he might have solutions to the severe conflict that has continued for nearly ten years.

Mari, a 67-year-old lawyer who heads a small opposition group licensed by the Syrian regime government, stated that he is a "real competitor," adding that whether or not he will succeed depends on the Syrian people.

Mari said that the elections cannot be delayed until all the Syrian territories are liberated, repeating what the regime government promotes.

He added that if he is elected, he will call, according to the interview, to hold a local national conference for the Syrian opposition that "includes only" national "groups, not those that receive support and funding from foreign countries, he stressed: "We need a new political life in Syria."

Despite his statements, the Associated Press considered that Mari had almost no chance of being truly competing in the elections next week in front of the current president of the regime.