Gandhari constitutional referendum, 1957

A constitutional referendum was held in Gandhara on 1 and 2 October 1957. The new constitution was approved by 83.1% of voters. Turnout was 64.6%.

Background

The Gandhari Revolution of 1956–57 led to the overthrow of the Al-Mansur dynasty and the abolition of the Emirate. The revolution was led by the Arab Socialist Union of Gandhara, a political and military organization that was established in 1952 by four military officers of the Gandhari army (nowadays referred to as the Founding Fathers of the Republic). During the revolution, the Arab Socialist Union took control of Gandhara and installed an interim government.

The interim government chose a constitutional committee to draft a new constitution. The committee completed their work on 29 August 1957. The constitution was intended to replace the first Gandhari Constitution of 1919 and stipulate the formation of an Arab Republic.

Conduct

According to Gandhari news sources, the elections passed peacefully. There were no violations or incidents reported during the voting. The referendum was held on Tuesday 1 October and Wednesday 2 October 1957. The votes were counted in one day and the results were announced in the early morning of 4 October.

Results

Voter participation was about 64.6%, and the new constitution was approved by 83.1% of the voters. The constitution was immediately adopted on 4 October and came into effect on 13 November.

Choice	Votes	%
For	8,486,953	83.1
Against	1,677,003	16.4
Invalid/blank votes	47,322	0.5
Total	10,211,278	100
Registered voters/turnout	15,806,832	64.6

See also

• Constitution of Gandhara