1979 Iranian constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Iran on 2 and 3 December 1979. The new Islamic constitution was approved by 99.5% of voters.
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Do you approve the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran? | |||||||||||||||||||
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The referendum was held by the Council of the Islamic Revolution, because Bazargan's Interim Government—which oversaw the previous referendum—had resigned in protest to the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.
A day before the referendum, when the mourning of Ashura was practiced, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini said those who will not vote tomorrow, will help Americans and desecrate Shohada (Martyrs).
Alongside Islamic Republican Party, the communist Tudeh Party of Iran urged people to vote yes, expressing its support for "Imam's line"; while Freedom Movement of Iran requested a yes vote on the grounds that the alternative was an anarchy.
Others, including leftists, secular nationalists and Islamist followers of Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari, and the prominent opposition group PMOI (People's Mojahedin Organization) called for a boycott. The turnout among Sunni minorities in Kurdistan and Sistan and Baluchestan Provinces, as well as Shariatmadari's home Azerbaijan was low and number of votes fell down in comparison to the referendum held in March. Historian Ervand Abrahamian estimates that nearly 17% of the people did not support the constitution.