1979_Togolese_constitutional_referendum

1979 Togolese constitutional referendum

1979 Togolese constitutional referendum

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A constitutional referendum was held in Togo on 30 December 1979, alongside simultaneous general elections. The changes to the constitution would establish the Third Togolese Republic and make the country a presidential republic and a one-party state, and were approved by 99.87% of voters with a 99.4% turnout.[1] The constitution came into force on 12 January 1980.[2]

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Background

Gnassingbé in 1972.

The referendum took place simultaneously with legislative and presidential elections, the first to take place in the country since Gnassingbé Eyadéma's coup in 1967. Following the coup, the National Assembly was dissolved and 1963 constitution abolished.[3][4]

On 30 August 1969 Eyadéma founded the Rally of the Togolese People (French: Rassemblement du Peuple Togolais, RPT), a de facto single party. His position as president of Togo was confirmed during a 1972 plebiscite. The 1979 elections saw him retain the presidency unopposed with the RPT winning all the seats in the National Assembly.[5]

Aims

The new constitution provided for a strong presidential system and officially made the country a one-party state. Article 10 stated that "The RPT, single party [...] expresses the aspirations of the working masses. [...] The Togolese political system is based on the single-party system."[lower-alpha 1][6] The president can call for referendums (Article 2), which are mandatory for constitutional matters if the parliament doesn't approve a law by a two-thirds majority (Article 52).[2][7]

Results

Voters voted using ballots colored red for "yes" and white for "no". In many polling stations, neither white "no" ballots nor voting booths were present.[2]

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Notes

  1. French: "Le RPT, parti unique (...) exprime les aspirations des masses laborieuses. (...) Le système politique togolais repose sur le principe du parti unique"

References

  1. [1]
    Elections in Togo African Elections Database
  2. [2]
    "Togo, 30. Dezember 1979 : Verfassung". sudd.ch (in German).
  3. [3]
    ARCHIVE DES RESULTATS DES ELECTIONS PARLEMENTAIRES
  4. [4]
    "Union Interparlementaire" (PDF). ipu.org.
  5. [5]
    Nohlen, D, Krennerich, M & Thibaut, B (1999) Elections in Africa: A data handbook, p903 ISBN 0-19-829645-2
  6. [6]
    Comi M Toulabor, Le Togo sous Eyadéma, Karthala, 1990, pages 88-89
  7. [7]
    Klaus Ziemer, Demokratisierung in Westafrika?, Paderborn 1984, S. 161-173
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