1962 Algerian Constituent Assembly election and referendum
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A referendum on the establishment of a Constituent Assembly and an election to the Assembly was held in Algeria on 20 September 1962. Voters voted on a single question of whether they supported the formation of the Assembly based on a draft law, including the election of a single list of 196 National Liberation Front candidates to the Assembly.
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20 September 1962
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All 196 seats in the Constituent Assembly 99 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||
| Turnout | 83.79% | ||||||||||
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This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below. | |||||||||||
The Assembly was to have a one-year mandate to draw up and promulgate a constitution.[1] Of the 196 National Liberation Front candidates, 180 were Arabs and 16 were of European origin.[2]
The vote was initially scheduled for 20 August,[3] before being postponed until 2 September,[4] and then 20 September.[5]
The question put to voters was "Do you want the Assembly elected today to be constituted in accordance with the draft law appended to Ordinance No. 62-011 of July 17, 1962 relating to the powers and duration of the powers of the National Assembly?"[6]
A reported 99.6% voted in favour, with a turnout of 84%.[2]
Results
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Choice | Votes | % | Seats | |
| For | 5,267,324 | 99.65 | 196 | |
| Against | 18,680 | 0.35 | – | |
| Total | 5,286,004 | 100.00 | 196 | |
| Valid votes | 5,286,004 | 99.69 | ||
| Invalid/blank votes | 16,290 | 0.31 | ||
| Total votes | 5,302,294 | 100.00 | ||
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,328,415 | 83.79 | ||
| Source: Nohlen et al. | ||||
Aftermath
The constitution was approved in a referendum in September 1963, and the mandate of the Assembly was extended by a year in accordance with article 77. However, President Ahmed Ben Bella froze the Assembly's activities and assumed full powers on 3 October 1963.[7]