1978 Sierra Leonean constitutional referendum

1978 07 12 y Sierra Leone 2,152,460 63,186 2,235,004 A constitutional referendum was held in Sierra Leone on 12 July 1978. The constitutional amendments were aimed at turning the country into a presidential one-party state, with the All People's Congress as the sole legal party. The new constitution had been adopted by Parliament in May, and was put to public approval in the referendum. With more than 97% of voters voting in favour according to official results, the referendum has been described as "heavily rigged".Gberie, Lansana. (2005) A Dirty War in West Africa: The RUF and the Destruction of Sierra Leone, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press APC leader and President Siaka Stevens had pushed for the adoption of one-party rule, contending that it was more "African" than Western-style democracy.The World Today Series: Africa 2012 Dickovick J. Tyler 2008 Stryker-Post Publications Lanham, Maryland 978-161048-881-5 registration https://archive.org/details/africa20120000dick Results 2152460 63186 2235004 African Elections Database Aftermath Following the referendum, Stevens was sworn in for another seven-year term. In the next presidential elections in 1985, voters had the choice of supporting or opposing his successor, Joseph Saidu Momoh, with no opposition candidates allowed. The 15 Sierra Leone People's Party MPs elected in 1977 joined the APC.Chronology Conciliation Resources The country would remain a one-party state until 1991, when a referendum repealed the 1978 constitutionArticle 190 The Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 and returned the country to multi-party politics. References Sierra Leone Category:Referendums in Sierra Leone Constitutional Category:Constitutional referendums Sierra Leone