PREDICTION: PELOSI'S BUDDY ASSAD WILL ONCE AGAIN WIN MORE THAN 97% OF THE "VOTE"

THE PENINSULA (QATAR):

Turnout in Syria’s referendum to endorse a second term in office for President Bashar Al Assad was unprecedented, the nation’s interior minister said before results were announced yesterday.

“The Syrian people spoke out yesterday. Participation in the referendum was enormous, never before seen in the country’s history,” Bassam Abdel Majid said in remarks carried by the press.

He gave no figures but his ministry is due to announce the results of Sunday’s vote at a press conference. Assad, who first took power in 2000 on the death of his father Hafez Al Assad, was standing unchallenged in the referendum, which was boycotted by the opposition and followed a crackdown on political dissidents.

In the last referendum, Assad won 97.29 per cent of the vote, according to official figures.

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The results of Syria's presidential referendum due to be released on Monday will instead be made public on Tuesday, Syrian interior minister Bassam Abd al-Majid has announced. He gave no reason for the delay in the results of the vote which featured a single candidate, current Syrian president Basher al-Assad. Polls on Sunday opened three hours after they were initially scheduled to do so because of what al-Majd said was "an exhuberant turnout of citizens wanting to cast their ballots".

Voters were called to either vote "yes" or a "no" for al-Assad who was nominated as the sole candidate by the Syrian parliament which is dominated by the ruling Baath Party and its allies.

Opposition groups boycotted the election alleging that it would be rigged in the president's favour.

NOW I KNOW WHY PELOSI ADMIRES ASSAD: SHE WANTS THAT KIND OF "ELECTORAL" VICTORY FOR THE DEMS!

AFTER SHE ENACTS A CHAVEZ-LIKE FAIRNESS DOCTRINE (SEE BELOW) SHE THINKS SHE'LL GET IT, TOO.