Baghdad
Saddam Hussein surprised no one this week by winning more than 99.9 percent support in a referendum on continuing his rule. The referendum was a simple yes-or-no vote; no other candidates were offered. A massive “yes” campaign had dominated the country for weeks. Streets were festooned with banners, all the newspapers carried fawning stories, and even the telephone dial tone was replaced by a voice chanting “Yes, Saddam.” The voting was not secret, so most Iraqis performed their civic duty with a noisy show of enthusiasm, cheering as they voted yes. Some even marked the ballots with their own blood. The Iraqis gave out no information about any no votes; in the past, Saddam has been known to wipe out entire villages for harboring a single dissident.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
-
'A speaker courageous enough to stand up to the extremists in his own party'Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
How could the Supreme Court's Fischer v. US case impact the other Jan 6. trials including Trump's?Today's Big Question A former Pennsylvania cop might hold the key to a major upheaval in how the courts treat the Capitol riot — and its alleged instigator
-
Today's political cartoons - April 18, 2024Cartoons Thursday's cartoons - impeachment Peanuts, record-breaking temperatures, and more
