Spanish constitutional referendum, 1978

Spain

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A referendum was held in Spain on 6 December 1978 to decide on the adoption of a new constitution. The result was overwhelming support for the new constitution, with 91.8% voting in favour. Voter turnout was 67.1%.

Purpose

The new constitution was intended to replace the many constitutional laws of the Franco era, the Fundamental Laws of the Realm, and turn Spain into a constitutional monarchy by removing many of the King's powers. The feat of creating a democratic system without breaking the structures of power of the state was made possible by the approval of the Political Reform Act of 1977, passed by the Francoist Cortes as the last Fundamental Law. It had been drafted by Torcuato Fernández Miranda, then President of the Cortes, and supported by Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez and King Juan Carlos. The law provided for the legalization of political parties and a democratic election to Constituent Cortes, a committee of which then drafted the Constitution.

Results

Choice	Votes	%
For	15,706,078	91.8
Against	1,400,505	8.2
Blank ballots	632,902	–
Invalid votes	133,786	–
Total	17,873,271	100
Registered voters/turnout	26,632,180	67.1
Source: Nohlen & Stöver