Syria’s government said its citizens approved a new constitution supporting President Bashar al- Assad’s bid to introduce political pluralism after almost a year of violence as the European Union tightened sanctions, Bloomberg reported.

The referendum drew 57.4 percent of eligible voters, or about 8.4 million people, with 89.4 percent of casting ballots in favor of the proposal, the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency said on its website, citing the Interior Ministry. Fewer than 1 million people, or 9 percent of voters, rejected the new charter, Syrian state television said. Assad’s forces continued to shell cities in central and northern Syria during and after the vote.

“The referendum in Syria is nothing more than a farce,” German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement. “Phony votes cannot contribute to a solution to the crisis.”

Assad is facing growing international pressure to end his crackdown on dissent as he seeks to affirm his mandate as Syria’s leader with the new constitution. The EU decided to freeze the central bank’s assets, ban precious-metals trading with the country and prohibit cargo-only flights to the bloc. The measures build on an oil embargo approved last September. French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is campaigning for re-election, said France would press Russia and China to drop their opposition to United Nations sanctions against Syria.