Syria's President Bashar Assad will remain in office, and has the right to decide to run for reelection next year, Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi said on Tuesday.

"Syria is staying put: the state, the nation, the people and the president. This is the Syrians' choice," Zohbi told journalists.

"All the people call for President Bashar Assad to be president of this state, whatever the opposition, the Americans and the traitors say," he added.

Zohbi said it is "the president's right to take a decision" on whether he will run for a new term in mid-2014, when his mandate is set to expire.

In Tuesday's speech, Zohbi said the opposition "does not have the courage to go to the polls", and that "had it had the courage, we would not have reached this point.”