A constitutional referendum was held in Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...

 on 12 July 1978. The changes were aimed at turning the country into a presidential single-party state

Single-party state

A single-party state, one-party system or single-party system is a type of party system government in which a single political party forms the government and no other parties are permitted to run candidates for election...

, with the All People's Congress

All People's Congress

The All People's Congress is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, the other is the Sierra Leone People's Party . The party was founded in 1960 by Pa Mucktarru Kallay, Allieu Badarr Koroma,Alhaji Sheik Gibril Sesay C A Kamara-Taylor, S A T Koroma and Abu Bakarr S Bangura...

 as the sole legal party. The new constitution had been adopted by parliament

Parliament of Sierra Leone

The unicameral Parliament of Sierra Leone is the country's legislative body. It is sometimes known as the House of Representatives.The current Parliament, formed following elections held on 14 May 2002, has a total of 124 members. 112 members are directly elected in multi-member constituencies...

 in May, and was put to public approval in the referendum. Passed with more than 97% support, the referendum has been described as "heavily rigged".

Results

Choice	Votes	%
For	2,152,460	97.15%
Against	63,186	2.85%
Total	2,215,646	100%
Source: African Elections database

Aftermath

Following the referendum, President

Heads of government of Sierra Leone

The following is a list of heads of government of Sierra Leone from 1954 until 1978, when a single party constitution was adopted, and President of Sierra Leone became head of government as well.-Heads of Government of Sierra Leone:-See also:...

 Siaka Stevens

Siaka Stevens

Siaka Probyn Stevens was the 3rd prime minister of Sierra Leone from 1967–1971 and the 1st president of Sierra Leone from 1971–1985. Stevens is generally criticised for dictatorial methods of government in which many of his political opponents were executed, as well as for mismanaging...

 was sworn in for another seven year term. In the next presidential election

Sierra Leonean presidential election, 1985

A referendum to confirm the presidential candidate Joseph Saidu Momoh was held in Sierra Leone on 1 October 1985. The country was a single-party state under the All People's Congress at the time, and only one candidate from that party was allowed. A referendum to approve the sole candidate was...

, voters had the choice of supporting or opposing his successor, Joseph Saidu Momoh

Joseph Saidu Momoh

Major General Joseph Saidu Momoh was the President of Sierra Leone from November, 1985 to April 29, 1992.- Biography :...

 (as no opposition candidates were allowed). The 15 Sierra Leone People's Party

Sierra Leone People's Party

Sierra Leone People's Party is one of the two major political parties in Sierra Leone, along with the All People's Congress .-Formation:...

 MPs elected in 1977

Sierra Leonean parliamentary election, 1977

Parliamentary elections were held in Sierra Leone on 6 May 1977. They were the last multi-party elections held in the country until 1996.-Background:...

 joined the APC.

A referendum

Sierra Leonean constitutional referendum, 1991

A referendum on a new constitution was held in Sierra Leone in August 1991. Voting was held over four days . The new constitution would restore multi-party politics, as the country had been a single-party state since the 1978 constitutional referendum.Of the approximately 2.5 million voters,...

in 1991 repealed the 1978 constitution, and returned the country to multi-party politics.