2015 Rwandan constitutional referendum|
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Choice | Votes | % |  Yes | 6,143,060 | 98.32% |  No | 105,144 | 1.68% | | Valid votes | 6,248,204 | 99.71% | | Invalid or blank votes | 18,286 | 0.29% | | Total votes | 6,266,490 | 100.00% | | Registered voters/turnout | 6,392,867 | 98.02% | |
A constitutional referendum was held in Rwanda on 18 December 2015. Rwandans living abroad voted on 17 December.[1] The amendments to the constitution would allow President Paul Kagame to run for a third term in office in 2017, as well as shortening presidential terms from seven to five years, although the latter change would not come into effect until 2024.[1] They were approved by around 98% of voters.[2]
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.[3] The constitutional amendments were approved by the Senate in November 2015.[1] If passed, they would allow Kagame to stand for a further two terms in office after 2024,[1] potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2034.[4] The opposition Democratic Green Party attempted to block the changes, but saw their bid to do so rejected in court.[5] The European Union and United States criticised the proposals, saying that it "undermines democratic principles". In response, Kagame criticised other countries for interfering in domestic affairs.[4]
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
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| For | 6,157,922 | 98.32 |
| Against | 105,260 | 1.68 |
| Total | 6,263,182 | 100.00 |
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| Valid votes | 6,263,182 | 99.65 |
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| Invalid/blank votes | 22,171 | 0.35 |
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| Total votes | 6,285,353 | 100.00 |
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| Registered voters/turnout | 6,392,867 | 98.32 |
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| Source: NEC |
References
