Syrians trooped to the polls yesterday to confirm Dr Bashar al-Assad (34) as president for the next seven years, ostentatiously marking their ballots "yes" for the family succession planned by his late father.
Voting in the one candidate referendum was extended until 10 p.m. local time, because of heavy demand, the Interior Ministry announced shortly before the polls had been due to close.
The city was quiet, with only small official demonstrations outside polling stations as Syrians voted for the successor to President Hafez al-Assad exactly one month after the death of the leader who had ruled with absolute authority for three decades.
"The people gave their opinion before the referendum by choosing Bashar as president", the Prime Minister, Mr Mohammed Mustafa Miro - appointed in March with Dr Bashar's backing - said after he voted for the new president.
Outside, demonstrators from the ruling Ba'ath Party, where Dr Bashar took the top position last month, chanted support: "We are Ba'athists. We are revolutionaries and our leader is Bashar."
Dr Bashar himself voted in a French school named after his brother, Basel - whose death in a 1994 car accident catapulted the aspiring eye doctor into the role of heir apparent. He chatted with teachers at the school, which he had attended. Although nearly 9.5 million Syrians were told to vote yes or no to a seven-year term for the son of Assad, the outcome was such a foregone conclusion that officials said the swearing in ceremony would be on Thursday.
The hundreds of thousands of Syrian workers - and 35,000 troops - in Lebanon voted there. The results are to be announced today by the Interior Minister, Mr Mohammed Harba.