| Date: | 18 December 2015 |
| Country: | Rwanda |
| Do you accept the Constitution of the Republic of Rwanda that was amended in 2015? | |
| Yes: | 6,143,060 |
| No: | 105,144 |
| Invalid: | 18,286 |
| Electorate: | 6,392,867 |
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]
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. The opposition Democratic Green Party attempted to block the changes, but saw their bid to do so rejected in court.[4] 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.[5]
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 6,157,922 | 98.3 |
| Against | 105,260 | 1.7 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 22,171 | – |
| Total | 6,285,353 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,392,867 | 98.3 |
| align=left colspan=3 | Source: NEC |