1996 Gambian constitutional referendum

1996 08 08 y The Gambia 270,093 113,744 38 441,732 A constitutional referendum was held in the Gambia on 8 August 1996. The new constitution was approved by 70% of voters, with a voter turnout of 87%. Background Elected president Dawda Jawara was overthrown in a military coup led by Yahya Jammeh on 22 July 1994. Following the coup, Jammeh ruled Gambia by decree as head of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council, with all political activity banned.Country Profile: The Gambia Foreign & Commonwealth Office He promised a return to civilian rule within four years, and a constitution was drawn up following a controversial consultation process. The new constitution allowed for multiparty elections, an unlimited number of five year presidential terms and lowered the voting age from 21 to 18. Results ChoiceVotes%For270,09370.36Against113,74429.64Invalid/blank votes38–Total383,875100Registered voters/turnout441,73286.90Source: Direct Democracy Aftermath Presidential elections were held in August 1996, which were won by Jammeh (despite him denying that he would stand until shortly before the election). In January 1997, parliamentary elections were held and won by Jammeh's Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction. References Gambia Category:1996 in the Gambia Category:Referendums in the Gambia Category:Constitutional referendums Category:August 1996 in Africa