Iranian constitutional referendum, December 1979

Islamic Republic Constitution referendum
Do you approve the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran?
Location	Iran
Date	2–3 December 1979
Results Votes  % Yes 15,680,218 7001995000000000000♠99.50% No 78,516 6999500000000000000♠0.50% Blank or invalid 111 5000000000000000000♠0.00% Valid votes 15,758,845 7002100000000000000♠100.00% Invalid or blank votes 111 5000000000000000000♠0% Total votes 15,758,956 100.00% Registered voters/turnout ~22,000,000 71.6%

A constitutional referendum was held in Iran on 2 and 3 December 1979. The new Islamic constitution was approved by 99.5% of voters, with a 71.6% turnout.

The referendum was held by the Council of the Islamic Revolution, because Bazargan's Interim Government –which oversaw the previous referendum– had resigned in protest to the U.S. Embassy hostage crisis.

A day before the referendum, when the mourning of Ashura was practiced, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini said those who will not vote tomorrow, will help Americans and desecrate Shohada (Martyrs).

Alongside Islamic Republican Party, the communist Tudeh Party of Iran urged people to vote yes, expressing its support for "Imam's line"; while Freedom Movement of Iran requested a yes vote on the grounds that the alternative was an anarchy.

Others, including leftists, secular nationalists and Islamist followers of Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari called for a boycott. The turnout among Sunni minorities in Kurdistan and Sistan and Baluchestan Provinces, as well as Shariatmadari's home Azerbaijan was low and number of votes fell down in comparison to the referandum held in January. Historian Ervand Abrahamian estimates that nearly 17% of the people did not support the constitution.

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