Baghdad: Iraqis voted massively on October 15 in a referendum to give President Saddam Hussein, the sole candidate, seven more years in office in defiance of US efforts to topple the regime.

"By voting I've fired my gun at the head of Bush and his gang," said 67-year-old Abdul Majid Janabi, referring to the US President.

He had queued since dawn at voting centre Number-13 in Baghdad's second constituency. Everyone declared they would vote for Saddam Hussein.

"It's a yes vote, if you want to say no you stay home," one young man said at a centre in Saddam City.

One ballot box even had Saddam's photo stuck on it.

A young woman voted with her blood after filling a syringe from her arm and several others followed her example, chanting "with our soul, with our blood we will sacrifice ourselves for you, Saddam".

Such votes are counted apart to allow the authorities to "compensate" the people, said a returning officer.

A US flag had been laid out in front of the boxes, obliging voters to trample it.

The regime's number two Ezzat Ibrahim, head of the committee supervising the referendum, voted at the Atbeh bin Gazwan centre in the heart of Baghdad and urged people to say "Yes, Yes," to Saddam.

He branded US President George W Bush a "criminal" and accused the administration of "cheating and deceiving the American people".

AFP reporters saw lines of men and women waiting as doors opened at polling stations across the capital.

The vote is officially secret but few people could be bothered to go into the curtained booths, preferring the boxes set out in public areas.

Although Tuesday was not a holiday, a party atmosphere engulfed the city.

Singing and dancing was encouraged at numerous centres, coffee was served, and state television broadcast popular music all day long, spliced with interviews and scenes from the polling stations.

Some 11.5 million Iraqis are eligible to vote in 1,905 polling stations set up across 15 provinces.

Polling opened at 8:00 am (05:00 hours GMT) for 12 hours and the results were due to be announced during the night.

The ruling Baath Party has mobilised the country in a massive propaganda effort to produce a 100 per cent vote for Saddam who has ruled since 1979.

Iraq has been covered with banners declaring undying love for Saddam, thousands of meetings, parades and rallies organised.

Baath party official Shaker Mahmud said, "Everything has been done to ensure voting takes place under the best possible conditions."

Delegations from "friendly" states across the world have been flown and bussed in to witness the grand occasion of the exercise of democracy, Iraq-style.

With the countdown to war seemingly already begun in Washington, the referendum became not just the renewal of Saddam's mandate, but a major tool of defiance against the omnipotent superpower.

In line with the Constitution, the President won the unanimous backing of the Revolution Command Council followed by Parliament for his sole candidacy to be put before the people.

The 65-year-old President garnered 99.96 per cent of the vote in the country's first referendum in 1995.

This time the official "Naam, naam Saddam (Yes, yes Saddam) campaign focused on beating that seemingly impossible score.

On Monday (October 14) the national telephone dialling tone was replaced by the "Naam, naam Saddam" slogan followed by 'All Iraq sings', 'Saddam is the pride of my country'.

The Kurdish Northern provinces outside the control of the Baghdad regime are not involved in the referendum, but the government announced on October 15 night that Kurds would be welcome to vote anywhere.