Syria starts referendum on new Constitution

Syrians early Sunday morning started a referendum on a new Constitution that gives a limit of two seven-year terms to a president and aims at restoring stability in the unrest-hit country.

The referendum begun at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT) and over 14 million Syrians are eligible to vote at 13,835 ballot centers across the country.

The new Constitution, if approved, will allow Syrian citizens to enjoy more freedom, end the monopoly on power of President Bashar al-Assad's Baath Party and set a timetable for multiparty elections.

Under the Constitution, al-Assad will end his two seven-year terms in 2014 at the latest and, with it, his family's 40-odd years of control over the country.

However, opposition leaders have refused to participate in the referendum, stressing that stopping violence is the top priority at present.

The unrest, which first broke out last March, has killed thousands of people including many government troops.