Assad gets second term with 97.62% of votes

[rayofreason]

Source: Jerusalem Post

Syrian President Bashar Assad won overwhelming support of his countrymen, scooping up 97.62 percent of votes in a nationwide referendum on his leadership in which he was the sole contestant.

The vote secured Assad another seven years in office. His re-election had been assured from the start, since he was the only candidate in the balloting.

Read more: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1180449399471&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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Congrats ol' buddy! BTW, can I borrow the "voting machines" in a couple of years? Saludos, Hugo.

[OnionPatch]

1. No one else running?

Why bother holding an election at all? :shrug:

[rayofreason]

3. why not?

No doubt it would fool some idiots outside Syria into thinking that Assad was elected President. Did you hear about the ad "infect your computer"?

http://news.softpedia.com/news/If-You-Want-To-Infect-Your-Computer-Please-Click-Here-54950.shtml

If people will click on that, why not spin out patent bullshit. It is worth it to the Assad gang to have an "election" with this kind of ludicrous outcome. Plenty of folks will take it as bona fide.

[pampango]

2. You would think that a truly smart dictator would realize that

there is little PR value in winning an election with 97.62 percent of the vote. (Though I think that Assad comes in second to NK's Great Leader who consistently polls 100% in his country's elections.)

Perhaps dictators have the need to believe that they are universally loved, but their elections would carry more weight with some in the West if they could engineer winning percentages of 70 or 80 percent. That would create the impression of great popularity and an "open" election, without actually jeopardizing their hold on power. (Of course, the job of dictator may be a lot more difficult than I can imagine. Maybe would-be dictators in waiting might view a 70% electoral victory as a sign of weakness and decide to try to replace (kill) you, so 98% may be a safer choice in the rough-and-tumble world of dictators.) ;)

[NeedleCast]

4. 2.38

Who recieved the other 2.38% of the vote? I support whoever it was.

[CJCRANE]

7. That's probably the margin of error

or spoiled votes from people who are illiterate.

[ohio2007]

8. Saddam got 99.9% +/- . 0.1% his last go round

and look what it got him.

[CJCRANE]

5. I bet DUers would be in the 2.38%!

[rayofreason]

6. in the 2.48%

Is that a new Syrian prison camp? That's were we would be for sure!