A constitutional referendum was held in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to t ...

on 4 August 1940. Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume II'', p428 It saw voters approve the new constitution.

Background

In 1939, in the midst of a political stalemate, President

José Félix Estigarribia José Félix Estigarribia Insaurralde (February 21, 1888 in Caraguatay – September 7, 1940 in Altos) was a Paraguayan military officer, politician and president. He was Commander in Chief of the Paraguayan Army during the Chaco War (1 ...

dissolved Congress and assumed "temporary" dictatorial powers. The following year, he issued a new constitution. The key institution was a "strong, but not despotic" president who was vested with sweeping powers to suspend civil liberties and take actions that he deemed necessary for the good of the state. The Senate was abolished and the Chamber of Representatives limited in power. A new,

corporatist Corporatism is a collectivist political ideology which advocates the organization of society by corporate groups, such as agricultural, labour, military, business, scientific, or guild associations, on the basis of their common interests. The ...

-inspired Council of State was created to represent interests in business, farmers, bankers, the military, and the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Results

References

{{Paraguayan elections 1940 constitutional

Constitutional referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...

Paraguayan constitutional Constitutional referendums Paraguayan constitutional referendum