A referendum on electoral reform was held in

Botswana Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label= Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalaha ...

on 4 October 1997. The referendum had three separate proposals, and came following promises made by

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Quett Masire 'Ketumile Quett Joni Masire'', GCMG (24 July 1926 – 22 June 2017) was the second and longest-serving President of Botswana, in office from 1980 to 1998. He was honored with the Knighthood of the Grand Cross of Saint Michael and Saint Ge ...

after violent protests in 1995.Botswana: Constitutional and electoral reform
EISA All three proposals were passed, although voter turnout was only around 17%.
African Elections Database

Question I

The first question asked voters whether they approved of amending the

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

, and replace the post of Supervisor of Elections, introduced following the 1987 referendum, and replacing it with an independent electoral commission.

Question II

The second question asked voters whether they approved of amending the

to allow Botswanans living abroad to vote.

Question III

The third question asked voters whether they approved of amending the

to lower the

voting age A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. The most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist ( ...

from 21 to 18.

References

{{Botswana elections

Electoral An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operat ...

Referendums in Botswana Electoral reform in Botswana Electoral reform referendums