Assad sets Syria vote to end one party rule

Bashar Al-Assad (Supposedly) Agrees to Plans for Multi Party Elections, But Why Now?

(AFP) – Feb 15, 2012

DAMASCUS — Syria’s president, who is fighting an Arab Spring-inspired revolt, called a constitutional referendum that would effectively end nearly 50 years of single-party rule, state media said. A day after rejecting UN allegations of crimes against humanity, Bashar al-Assad called the referendum for February 26, in a move aimed at placating growing global outrage over the bloodshed.

The proposed charter drops Article 8, which declared the ruling Baath Party as the “leader of the state and society,” allowing for a multi-party system, state television said. The president must be a Muslim man and may serve a maximum of two seven-year terms, although it is unclear if this would apply to Assad, who is already in his second term.