A referendum on creating an Islamic Republic was held in Iran on 30 and 31 March 1979. Political parties such as the National Democratic Front and the Organization of Iranian People's Fedai Guerrillas boycotted the referendum.
30—31 March 1979 / 10—11 Farvardin 1358 SH | ||||||||||||||||
In the Name of God Interim Government of the Islamic Revolution Ministry of Interior Referendum Election Ballot Change of previous regime into Islamic Republic the constitution of which to be approved by the nation. | ||||||||||||||||
The two-parts ballot of referendum, with the green paper indicating "Yes" and red paper indicating "No" | ||||||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||
The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran, the Tudeh Party of Iran, the Freedom Movement of Iran, the National Front, and the Islamic People's Republican Party, also "objected to the imposition of Khomeini's choice". According to official results, it was approved by 98.2% of eligible citizens. However, votes were color-coded and voting booths were lacking, explaining the unusually high approval rate.
In order to include the Iranian youth who participated in the revolution, the voting age was lowered from 18 to 16.
Following this, the 1906 constitution was declared invalid and a new constitution for an Islamic state was created and ratified by another referendum in December 1979.
Party policies
| Position | Organizations | Ref |
|---|---|---|
Yes | ||
| Islamic Republican Party | ||
| National Front | ||
| Freedom Movement | ||
| Tudeh Party | ||
| People's Mojahedin Organization | ||
| Muslim People's Republic Party | ||
| Toilers Party | ||
| Iran Party | [citation needed] | |
| Pan-Iranist Party | ||
| Nation Party | ||
Boycott | National Democratic Front | |
| Organization of People's Fedai Guerrillas | ||
| People's Fedai Guerrillas | ||
| Peykar | ||
| Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan | ||
| Komala Party of Iranian Kurdistan |
Voting
Voters were given a three-part ballot, two of which containing the following statement:
بسمه تعالی
دولت موقّت انقلاب اسلامی
وزارت کشور
تعرفهٔ انتخابات رفراندم
تغییر رژیم سابق به جمهوری اسلامی
که قانون اساسی آن از تصویب ملّت خواهد گذشت.
In the Name of God
Interim Government of the Islamic Revolution
Ministry of Interior
Referendum Election Ballot
Change of previous regime into Islamic Republic
the constitution of which to be approved by the nation.
The Interim Government of Iran invited a four-man delegation of international jurists from International Association of Democratic Lawyers to monitor the voting. According to The Washington Post, polling places lacked voting booths and the color-coded ballots could clearly be seen by observers, quoting head of the delegation "this is not the way we do things in the West, and it does not meet our criteria of democracy". Sadegh Zibakalam describes the referendum as "free and fair". Michael Axworthy states "there may have been some irregularities in the referendum, but most balanced observers then and since have accepted that whatever the conditions, a referendum at that time with that question would always have given a massive majority for the same result", that is the end of the monarchy.
A huge voter turnout was reported nationwide, except for Turkmen Sahra and Iranian Kurdistan, where the referendum was not held in full due to ongoing armed conflicts.
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 20,147,855 | 99.3 |
| Against | 140,996 | 0.7 |
| Valid Votes | 20,288,851 | 100 |
| Source: Nohlen et al | ||
| Choice | Votes |
|---|---|
| Number of Eligible Voters | 20,857,391 |
| Number of Actual Voters | 20,440,108 |
| Voter Turnout | 98% |
| Source: Iran Social Science Data Portal | |
Results by province
| Province | Votes | Proportion of votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | Yes | No | |
| East Azerbaijan province | 2,001,628 | 5,354 | 99.73% | 0.27% |
| West Azerbaijan province | 640,323 | 5,547 | 99.14% | 0.86% |
| Isfahan province | 1,357,605 | 4,470 | 99.67% | 0.33% |
| Ilam province | 161,942 | 16 | 99.99% | 0.01% |
| Bakhtaran Province | 612,830 | 6,159 | 99.00% | 1.00% |
| Bushehr province | 200,023 | 333 | 99.83% | 0.17% |
| Tehran province | 3,462,449 | 72,980 | 97.94% | 2.06% |
| Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province | 210,936 | 885 | 99.58% | 0.42% |
| Khorasan Province | 1,983,458 | 6,712 | 99.66% | 0.34% |
| Khuzestan province | 1,248,591 | 8,557 | 99.32% | 0.68% |
| Zanjan province | 765,786 | 875 | 99.89% | 0.11% |
| Semnan province | 185,674 | 424 | 99.77% | 0.23% |
| Sistan and Baluchestan province | 314,319 | 1,052 | 99.67% | 0.33% |
| Fars province | 1,224,821 | 5,281 | 99.57% | 0.43% |
| Kordestan Province | 318,360 | 2,570 | 99.20% | 0.80% |
| Kerman province | 651,011 | 1,507 | 99.77% | 0.23% |
| Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province | 159,463 | 254 | 99.84% | 0.16% |
| Gilan province | 810,708 | 7,539 | 99.08% | 0.92% |
| Lorestan province | 643,216 | 821 | 99.87% | 0.13% |
| Mazandaran province | 1,205,501 | 3,871 | 99.68% | 0.32% |
| Markazi province | 771,189 | 1,052 | 99.86% | 0.14% |
| Hormozgan province | 252,791 | 3,842 | 98.50% | 1.50% |
| Hamedan Province | 744,636 | 1,023 | 99.86% | 0.14% |
| Yazd province | 241,024 | 187 | 99.92% | 0.08% |
| Abroad | 118,069 | 12,444 | 90.47% | 9.53% |
| Total | 20,286,353 | 153,755 | 99.25% | 0.75% |
| Source: Ministry of Interior[permanent dead link] | ||||
See also
- Iranian Islamic Republic Day
- 1979 Iranian constitutional referendum
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about 1979 Iranian Islamic Republic referendum, What is 1979 Iranian Islamic Republic referendum? What does 1979 Iranian Islamic Republic referendum mean?