1961 Somali constitutional referendum

1961 Somali constitutional referendum

20 June 1961
Results
Choice Votes % Yes 1,756,216 90.56% No 183,000 9.44% Valid votes 1,939,216 99.53% Invalid or blank votes 9,132 0.47% Total votes 1,948,348 100.00%

A constitutional referendum was held in Somalia on 20 June 1961 to vote on the new constitution for the country created the previous year by the union of the State of Somaliland and the Trust Territory of Somaliland. It was approved by 90.56% of voters.

In the territory of former State of Somaliland, the Somali National League (SNL) party encouraged a boycott of the referendum, and 60% of the approximately 100,000 votes from the area opposed the constitution. However the south of the country had 1,952,660 voters, effectively giving the south the power of veto, and obfuscated the fact there was no popular mandate for a union.

Conduct

More votes were cast in Wanlaweyn, a small town in southern Somalia, than in the entirety of Somaliland. This created a climate of distrust and a new term for southerners – Wanla Weyn.

Results

Choice		Votes	%
For		1,760,540	90.59
Against		182,911	9.41
Total		1,943,451	100.00
Source: African Elections Database