West calls Syrian referendum a ‘sham’

“Tell Obama I hope he dies, like he is killing Syrian people,” she said.

One woman emerged from the station and said she voted “no” without elaborating, and walked away quickly.

Posters around Damascus urged people to cast ballots. “Don’t turn your back on voting,” one said.

Another — showing the red, black and white Syrian flag — touted the new constitution. “Syria‘s constitution: Freedom of belief,” it said, referring to clauses protecting religious minorities.

Turnout is expected to be minimal in opposition strongholds such as Homs, the northwestern province Idlib and the southern region of Daraa, where armed rebels frequently clash with security forces.

A spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, Hicham Hassan, said the group’s local chapter had not been able to reach the embattled Homs neighborhood of Baba Amr since Friday, when it evacuated 27 people.

“Needs are very urgent,” he said. “It is absolutely crucial that we are able to enter in order to evacuate people and to bring in vital assistance.”

The repercussions of the Syrian conflict are rapidly spilling over borders. More than 80,000 Syrian refugees have sought refuge in neighboring Jordan, officials there have said.

Turkey and Lebanon also are harboring many Syrian refugees.

Bassem Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writers Matthew Lee in Rabat, Morocco; Dale Gavlak in Amman, Jordan; Geir Moulson in Berlin; and Frank Jordans in Geneva contributed to this report.

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