Romanian constitutional referendum, 1938

Updated on Oct 05, 2024

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A constitutional referendum was held in Romania on 24 February 1938 to approve a new constitution. Voting was done by answering yes or no before an election bureau, with silence marked as yes. Voting was compulsory, and the amendments were approved by 99.87% of voters. The voting process has been described as deeply flawed and characterized by widespread intimidation.

Background

The proposed changes to the constitution included:

Giving the King the power to legislate and sole power to amend the constitution

Making the government solely responsible to the King

Allowing the King to dissolve Parliament at any time and rule by decree

Limiting the Parliament to bringing in laws in the "national interest"

Making the second chamber 50% appointed by the King and the remainder from professional organisations

Raising the voting age from 21 to 30

Prohibiting "revolutionary propaganda"

References

Romanian constitutional referendum, 1938 Wikipedia

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