A constitutional referendum was held in

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

on 18 December 2015. Rwandans living abroad voted on 17 December.Paul Kagame's third term: Rwanda referendum on 18 December
BBC News, 9 December 2015 The amendments to the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

would allow President

Paul Kagame Paul Kagame ( ; born 23 October 1957) is a Rwandan politician and former military officer who has been the President of Rwanda since 2000. He was previously a commander of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), a rebel armed force which invaded ...

to run for a third term in office in

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, as well as shortening presidential terms from seven to five years, although the latter change would not come into effect until 2024. They were approved by around 98% of voters.

Background

A petition calling for Article 101 of the constitution (which imposes presidential term limits) to be amended gained over 3.7 million signatures, equivalent to over 60% of registered voters in Rwanda. The constitutional amendments were approved by the

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in November 2015. If passed, they would allow Kagame to stand for a further two terms in office after 2024, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2034. The opposition Democratic Green Party attempted to block the changes, but saw their bid to do so rejected in court.Rwanda president to decide on third term after referendum
Reuters, 7 December 2015 The

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and

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criticised the proposals, saying that it "undermines democratic principles". In response, Kagame criticised other countries for interfering in domestic affairs.Rwanda to hold referendum on Kagame third term on December 17
Daily Nation, 9 December 2015

Results

References

{{Rwandan elections

Constitutional Referendums in Rwanda Constitutional referendums