Thirty years ago today, on October 17, 1995 (August 23, 1995), Saddam Hussein won 99.96% of the votes for re-election as President of Iraq. On October 17, 1995, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was sworn in as the next president for a seven-year term. On October 15, Iraq held a referendum on whether Saddam Hussein should be re-elected as president, and Saddam won 99.96% of the votes.