Youths with welding machines sealed the gates of the building of the party led by President Bashar al Assad, which has been in power since a 1963 coup. A major economic crisis has seen the local currency collapse, leading to soaring prices for food and basic supplies and which Assad's government blames on Western sanctions. Across the province, scores of local branches of the Baath party whose officials hold top government posts were also closed by protesters with its cadres fleeing, residents said. In a rare act of defiance in areas under Assad's rule, protesters tore down posters of Assad, where the party has promoted a personality cult around him and his late father. Sweida, a city of over 100,000 people, has seen most public institutions shut and public transport on strike and businesses partially open, residents and civic activists said.

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Persons: Bashar al Assad, Bashar, Assad, Kenan Waqaf, Sweida, Ryan Marouf, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Grant McCool Organizations: Baath, Protesters, Thomson Locations: AMMAN, Sweida, Russia, Iran