A referendum on the system of government was held in Nepal on 2 May 1980. Voters were offered the choice between a non-partisan '' panchayat'' system and a multi-party system. The ''panchayat'' system received a slim majority of 54.99%, whereas Multi-Party System only received 45.2% of the total votes. Voter turnout was 66.9%.
Background
With the backdrop of mass student protests against his rule in the spring of 1979, King Birendra made a public declaration on May 23, 1979, that a referendum with universal adult suffrage with secret vote would be held in which the people of Nepal would be able to choose between introducing a multiparty system or retain the non-party ''panchayat'' regime.
On 21 January 1980, King Birendra published the Referendum Rules, stating that after the referendum 'His Majesty shall make such provisions in the Constitution of Nepal as may deem necessary'.
Method of voting
Nepalese citizens aged 21 and above were eligible to vote. The voters would mark their choice by stamping either of two colours on the ballot paper, blue for the multiparty system and yellow for the non-party panchayat system. It was speculated at the time that the choice of colours had not been coincidental, since the yellow colour was associated with saintly religious qualities. There is no empirical evidence though, that the choice of colours affected the outcome of the vote.
Results
By region
By district
The ''panchayat'' partyless system option got a majority in 54 out of the 75
districts of Nepal
Districts in Nepal are second level of administrative divisions after provinces. Districts are subdivided in municipalities and rural municipalities. There are seven provinces and 77 districts in Nepal.
After the state's reconstruction of admi ...
. The highest percentage of pro-''panchayat'' votes was recorded in Dolpo (96.4%), the lowest in Bhaktapur (34.4%). The highest scores for the multiparty system option were recorded in Bhaktapur (65.6%), Udaipur (65.1%),
Siraha
Siraha ( Nepali: , ) is the headquarters and municipality of Siraha District, a part of Madhesh Province , Nepal. Siraha had a population of 28,442 according to the census of 2011. and a population of 82,531 as of 2015.The current population of Sir ...
(64%) and
Bardiya
Bardiya or Smerdis ( peo, 𐎲𐎼𐎮𐎡𐎹 ; grc, Σμέρδις ; possibly died 522 BC), also named as Tanyoxarces ( grc, Τανυοξάρκης ) by Ctesias, was a son of Cyrus the Great and the younger brother of Cambyses II, both ...
(62.1%). In general, the multiparty system option performed better in areas with higher literacy levels.
The Hindu community was more or less evenly divided between the two options. The Muslim community is said to have voted predominantly in favour of the ''panchayat'' system. Ethnic groups like Tamang, Sherpa, Magar, Gurung and Kirati overwhelmingly supported the ''panchayat'' option, whilst the Tharu are said to have been predominantly in favour of the multiparty system.
Shaha, Rishikesh
Rishikesh Shah (May 16, 1925 – November 13, 2002) was a Nepalese writer, politician and human rights activist.New Delhi: Manohar Publications, 1990. p. 69-70.
1980
Events January
* January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission.
* January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC.
* January 9 – ...