1979 Iranian Constitutional Referendum

The constitutional referendum held on 2–3 December 1979 submitted the draft constitution produced by the Assembly of Experts for the Constitution to a popular vote. The constitution, which embedded the doctrine of velayat-e faqih and granted sweeping powers to a Supreme Leader, was approved with 99.5% of votes cast. Turnout was 75.2% (15.7 million voters). The referendum was boycotted by leftist parties, secular nationalists, Kurdish autonomy movements including the Democratic Party of Iranian Kurdistan, followers of Ayatollah Shariatmadari, and the Mojahedin-e Khalq. Turnout was notably low in Kurdistan, Sistan-Baluchestan, and Azerbaijan provinces.