Syria referendum 'a sham' - Diplomats estimate that only 5% of the population turned out to vote
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Haidar and Omar don’t have much in common these days in Syria. Haidar is an Allawite, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, a minority sect but the one from which 42 years of Assad family dictatorship has drawn the majority of its leaders. Omar is a Sunni Muslim, like three quarters of Syria’s population, and is a key organizer of protests in the Damascus suburb of Qaboun that aim to bring down the Assad police state and restore power in Syria to the majority.
Although the two men are at opposite ends of the political spectrum, both Haidar and Omar agree on one thing: the referendum held Sunday on a new constitution was a sham. One of the many flaws: people were allowed to vote multiple times — one of many flaws in the key plank of President Bashar al-Assad’s promised reforms.
“The opposition may have called for a boycott of the vote. But after this I will go to another election center and vote again,” boasted Haidar, casting the first of apparently many ballots. He believed the vote wasn't so much about changing the constitution as it was showing support for his embattled president. “I know voting many times is illegal, but how will they know if there are no lists of registered voters in Syria?” On that point Omar agreed. It was one of many reasons why he and most others in Qaboun boycotted the vote.
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/120227/syria-referendum-constitution-vote-assad-protests-crackdown-homs
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