Gandhari constitutional referendum, 1990

A constitutional referendum was held in Gandhara on 4 and 5 April 1990. Voters were asked whether they approve of the proposed revision of the 1957 constitution. The revision was approved by 74.7% of voters. The voter turnout was 72.4%.

Background

After the 1989 Gandhari coup d'état, in which president Izzeddin al-Masri was removed from office, the military declared Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Rabih Hamam as the interim president of Gandhara. Hamam announced in preparation for a new presidential election a referendum to revise the suspended 1957 constitution.

The process of revision of the constitution began with a committee of 10 legal experts. The committee of 10 drafted a revision to the constitution, which included the addition of new civil rights, the introduction of a term limit for the President of Gandhara (two terms of seven years each), the abolishment of the death penalty under all circumstances, and the incorporation of the former overseas territories of Asabiya and Diyafa as autonomous republics. The draft revision was completed on 13 November 1989.

Voting

The official turnout figure at 72.4% was lower than in the 1957 constitutional referendum. More than 3.8 million people voted against the proposed revision. Many Kurdish and Baloch people voted against, as they were disappointed that no autonomy would be granted to governorates with major Kurdish and Baloch populations.

Results

The revision of the constitution was approved by 74.7% of the voters. The results of the referendum were announced on 9 April 1990, and the revision camed into force on 31 May 1990.

Choice	Votes	%
For	11,340,694	74.7
Against	3,801,374	25.0
Invalid/blank votes	38,567	0.3
Total	15,180,635	100
Registered voters/turnout	20,967,729	72.4

See also

• Constitution of Gandhara