Syrians Vote on Referendum That Could Keep Al-Assad in Power for Years - East Idaho News
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Syrians Vote on Referendum That Could Keep Al-Assad in Power for Years

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GETTY W 110311 SyriaBasharAlAssadJPG?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1330341658774Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — Syrians went to the polls on Sunday to vote on a referendum for a new constitution that potentially keeps President Bashar al-Assad in power for another 16 years after 11 months of brutality against his own people.

Adding further insult to injury, the government crackdown on pro-reform dissidents went undeterred in the city of Homs and elsewhere in Syria, leaving dozens dead and the rest of the world wondering if anything can stop the violence.

There was little enthusiasm expressed for Sunday’s vote, which was regarded as a sham by al-Assad’s opponents.

The major fear now is that without any foreign intervention, the conflict will break out into a sectarian war between al-Assad’s Alawite sect and the majority Sunni Muslim population.  However, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton admitted that the situation could grow worse if the international community steps in militarily.

Al-Assad came into power in 2000 after his father died.  He won the first referendum for a seven-year term with more than 97 percent of the vote and a second one with slightly more.

The new constitution would enact a presidential limit of two seven-year terms, but that term wouldn’t go into effect until after al-Assad has the chance to serve another two terms after his present one runs out in 2014.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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