Syrians Vote on Constitution; Opposition Boycotts

Syrians Vote on Constitution; Opposition Boycotts
26 February, 2012 – POMED

The new constitution calls for a multi-party parliamentary election within three months, which the Syrian government has pushed forward as a sign of reform, but that many have rejected as “fraudulent.” The U.S. has dismissed the referendum as “laughable,” while Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu expressed doubt about the timing of the vote: “On one hand you say you are holding a referendum and on the other you are attacking with tank fire on civilian areas.” While Syrian state TV showed polling stations in Damascus to be peaceful, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported new violence around the country that left dozens of civilians and security forces dead. “What should we be voting for, whether to die by bombardment or by bullets? This is the only choice we have,” said Waleed Fares, an activist in the Khalidiyah district of Homs. Prime Minister Adel Safar, when asked about the referendum boycott, said it showed a lack of interest in engaging in dialogue, and added, “If there was a genuine desire for reform, there would have been movement from all groups, especially the opposition, to start dialogue immediately with the government to achieve the reforms and implement them on the ground.”

Meanwhile, the Syrian National Council has reached out to the Alawite community, and in a recent press release announced, “We in the SNC consider members of the Alawite sect to be an essential element of Syria’s cultural and ethnic fabric. It is shameful for us, the people of an undivided nation, to target a community by name instead of calling upon their national citizenship. However, this is the result of the regime’s actions.” Additionally, Jordan has announced that more than 80,000 Syrian refugees have fled the nearly 11 months of violence in their homeland and settled in neighboring Jordan. The unnamed official said the estimate was based on legal entries into Jordan, and that it is a testament to the growing violence in Syria. …source