BAGHDAD,
October 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - In defiance of U.S.
efforts to occupy their country, Iraqis voted massively Tuesday,
October 15, in a referendum to give President Saddam Hussein seven
more years in office.
"By
voting, I've fired my gun at the head of Bush and his gang," said
67-year-old Abdul Majid Janabi, referring to the U.S. President,
reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He
had queued since dawn at voting center number 13 in Baghdad's second
constituency. Everyone declared they would vote for Saddam Hussein.
"It's
a yes vote, if you want to say no you stay home," one young man
told AFP at a center in Saddam City.
One
ballot box even had Saddam's photo stuck on it.
A
young woman voted with her blood after filling a syringe from her arm
and several others followed her example, chanting "with our soul,
with our blood we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Saddam."
Such
votes are counted apart to allow the authorities to
"compensate" the people, said a returning officer.
A
U.S. flag had been laid out in front of the boxes, obliging voters to
trample it.
The
regime's number two Ezzat Ibrahim, head of the committee supervising
the referendum, voted at the Atbeh bin Gazwan center in the heart of
Baghdad and urged people to say "Yes, Yes," to Saddam.
He
branded Bush a "criminal" and accused the U.S.
administration of "cheating and deceiving the American
people".
AFP
reporters saw lines of men and women waiting as doors opened at
polling stations across the capital.
The
vote is officially secret but few people could be bothered to go into
the curtained booths, preferring the boxes set out in public areas.
Although
Tuesday was not a holiday, a party atmosphere engulfed the city.
Singing
and dancing was encouraged at numerous centers, coffee was served, and
state television broadcast popular music all day long, spliced with
interviews and scenes from the polling stations.
Some
11.5 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in 1,905 polling stations set
up across 15 provinces.
Polling
opened at 8:00 am (0500 GMT) for 12 hours and the results were due to
be announced during the night.
The
ruling Baath Party has mobilized the country in a massive propaganda
effort to produce a 100 percent vote for Saddam who has ruled since
1979.
Iraq
has been covered with banners declaring undying love for Saddam,
thousands of meetings, parades and rallies organized.
Baath
party official Shaker Mahmud told AFP: "Everything has been done
to ensure voting takes place under the best possible conditions."
Delegations
from "friendly" states across the world have been flown and
bussed in to witness the grand occasion of the exercise of democracy,
Iraq-style.
With
the countdown to war seemingly already begun in Washington, the
referendum became not just the renewal of Saddam's mandate, but a
major tool of defiance against the omnipotent superpower.
In
line with the constitution, the President won the unanimous backing of
the Revolution Command Council followed by parliament for his sole
candidacy to be put before the people.
The
65-year-old President garnered 99.96 percent of the vote in the
country's first referendum in 1995.
This
time the official "Naam, naam Saddam (Yes, yes Saddam) campaign
focused on beating that seemingly impossible score.
On
Monday, the national telephone dialing tone was replaced by the
"Naam, naam Saddam" slogan followed by "All Iraq sings,
'Saddam is the pride of my country'."
The
Kurdish northern provinces outside the control of the Baghdad regime
are not involved in the referendum, but the government announced
Monday night that Kurds would be welcome to vote anywhere.
