Afghan President Hamid Karzai congratulated President Bashar al-Assad for his victory in Syria presidential election.

President Karzai quoted in a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan said he was hopeful that his reelection will result to development, prosperity and stability in Syria.

Bashar al-Assad was re-elected as the Syrian President for third time after he won a landslide victory in presidential poll.

The parliament speaker, Mohammad al-Laham said Assad has secured 88.7 percent of the vote.

The turnout in Syria’s presidential election was 73.42 percent, according to Majed Khadra, the head of the Supreme Constitutional Court of Syria.

Despite a raging civil war which grew out of protests against Assad’s rule, the victory gives him a third term in office.

Khadra said 11,634,412 out of a total of 15,845,575 eligible voters cast their ballots in Tuesday’s polls.

The United States denounced Syrian leader Bashar Al-Assad’s attempt to shore up his authority by staging presidential elections in the middle of a brutal civil war.

At least 162,000 people have been killed in Syria since an uprising against Assad’s rule erupted in March 2011, triggering a savage crackdown. More than half the population have fled their homes.