Guinean constitutional referendum, 1958

A constitutional referendum was held in Guinea on 28 September 1958 as part of a wider referendum across the French Union (and France itself) on whether to adopt the new French Constitution; if accepted, colonies would become part of the new French Community; if rejected, the territory would be granted independence.

Alongside Niger, Guinea was one of only two territories where the major political party campaigned for a "no" vote, and ultimately was the only colony to reject the constitution and opt for independence. The Democratic Party of Guinea, which had won all but four seats in the Territorial Assembly elections the previous year under the leadership of Ahmed Sékou Touré, pushed for a rejection of the constitution, and on 19 October the party severed its ties with the African Democratic Rally, whose other members were in favour of retaining ties with France.

The results showed that more than 95% of voters voted against the constitution, with a turnout of 85.5%.

Following the referendum, Guinea declared independence on 2 October. The French government reacted badly to the result, and although Touré had not been seeking it, withdrew totally from the country and halted any development assistance. As a result, the Guinean government turned to the Communist bloc to request aid, a step which the French government used in pressuring Western countries not to accept the Guinean independence. Upon independence Touré assumed the office of President, and the country soon became a one-party state. Despite various assassination attempts and coup plots, Touré ruled until 1984.

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