Sharjah 24 – AFP: Thousands of Syrians flocked to their embassy in Lebanon Thursday, as expatriates and refugees kicked off voting for next week's presidential election.

Buses packed with Syrians jammed main roads leading to the embassy in Baabda, south of Beirut, where crowds began gathering before dawn amid tight security.

Polling inside Syria is set for next Wednesday.

Outside the embassy, voters chanted slogans in support of Assad and carried portraits of the longtime president and his late father Hafez, an AFP correspondent reported.

Pictures of Assad's two little-known challengers were nowhere to be seen.

Dozens of Syrian embassies abroad, including those in Russia, Jordan and Kuwait, also opened their doors to eligible voters, who are required to present a valid passport carrying an exit stamp from Syrian territory.