1945 Cambodian referendum

Last updated
1945 Cambodian referendum
Flag of Cambodia under French protection.svg
3 October 1945

Do you want to be free like Jayavarman with the Angkor Wat temples?
Results
Choice
Votes %
Check-71-128-204-brightblue.svgYes541,470100.00%
Light brown x.svgNo00.00%
Valid votes541,470100.00%
Invalid or blank votes00.00%
Total votes541,470100.00%
Registered voters/turnout674,04880.33%

A six-issue referendum was held in Cambodia on 3 October 1945. The questions included whether the country should become independent, and whether the presence of foreign military forces should be refused. There were no "no" votes to any of the questions, although two had one or two invalid votes. [1] Voter turnout was 80.3%.

Contents

Background

On 10 August Son Ngoc Thanh replaced Prime Minister Ung Hy from power, and held a referendum to try and legitimise his government.

Conduct

It is not clear whether the referendum was held by voters putting a ballot paper in a box. Thanh sent a list of five questions to provincial governors for them to ask voters. [2] The question on independence was worded: [2]

Do you want to be free like Jayavarman with the Angkor Wat temples?

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For541,470100
Against00
Invalid/blank votes0
Total541,470100
Registered voters/turnout674,04880.33
Source: Nohlen et al.

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References

  1. Dieter Nohlen, Florian Grotz & Christof Hartmann (2001) Elections in Asia: A data handbook, Volume II, p68 ISBN   0-19-924959-8
  2. 1 2 Cambodia, 3 October 1945: Independence Democracy