Republic of the Congo constitutional referendum, 2002
Encyclopedia
A constitutional referendum was held in the Republic of the Congo
on 20 January 2002, with results showed over 87% voted in favour with a voter turnout of 77.5%.
. It had been written in 2001 and approved by a National Transition Council in 2002 before being put to a referendum. Changes from the old constitution increased presidential terms to seven years and abolished the post of Prime Minister
. It established a bicameral legislature and instituted several requirements in order to be able to stand for President.
The government described the referendum as paving the way for elections and welcomed the results. However the opposition urged that voters boycott
the referendum as they said that the new constitution would give too much power to the President. Human rights group
s said that the referendum, which took place without international observers, had seen irregularities.
Republic of the Congo
The Republic of the Congo , sometimes known locally as Congo-Brazzaville, is a state in Central Africa. It is bordered by Gabon, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo , the Angolan exclave province of Cabinda, and the Gulf of Guinea.The region was dominated by...
on 20 January 2002, with results showed over 87% voted in favour with a voter turnout of 77.5%.
Background
The proposed new constitution would make the country a presidential republicPresidential system
A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch exists and presides separately from the legislature, to which it is not responsible and which cannot, in normal circumstances, dismiss it....
. It had been written in 2001 and approved by a National Transition Council in 2002 before being put to a referendum. Changes from the old constitution increased presidential terms to seven years and abolished the post of Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
. It established a bicameral legislature and instituted several requirements in order to be able to stand for President.
The government described the referendum as paving the way for elections and welcomed the results. However the opposition urged that voters boycott
Boycott
A boycott is an act of voluntarily abstaining from using, buying, or dealing with a person, organization, or country as an expression of protest, usually for political reasons...
the referendum as they said that the new constitution would give too much power to the President. Human rights group
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
s said that the referendum, which took place without international observers, had seen irregularities.
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 1,113,955 | 87.83 |
| Against | 154,375 | 12.17 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 49,908 | |
| Total | 1,318,238 | 100 |
| Source: African Elections Database | ||