A referendum was held in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

on 20 and 21 December 1851. Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p. 673 Voters were asked whether they approved of the continuation of the authority of Louis Napoléon Bonaparte and to delegate the powers required to produce a new constitution.Nohlen & Stöver, p. 683 It was approved by 92% of voters with an 81.7% turnout.

Results

92.03% of French voters voted in favor of the amendment, while 18.35% of electors

abstained Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote (on election day) or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with ...

from voting. The official tally and free nature of the vote were questioned by dissidents like

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

References

{{French elections French Second Republic Referendums in France 1851 in France 1851 referendums Constitutional referendums in France December 1851 events