Syrians voted in a referendum on a new constitution

Syrians voted in a referendum on a new constitution that pledges to introduce political pluralism after almost a year of violence between pro-reform protesters and the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The new constitution calls for a multi-party parliamentary election within three months.

The opposition boycotted the vote, calling it a farce and demanding President Bashar al-Assad stand down.

Assad's opponents label the vote a stalling tactic, and a White House spokesman has dismissed the balloting as "laughable."

On Sunday, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the BCC that there was "every possibility of a civil war" in Syria and warned that foreign intervention probably would speed it up.