1964 Southern Rhodesian independence referendum

A referendum on independence was held in Southern Rhodesia on 5 November 1964. The question put to voters was, "Are you in favour of or against Southern Rhodesia obtaining independence on the basis of the 1961 Constitution of Southern Rhodesia?" The result was a landslide for the "yes" vote, which was the choice of over 90% of voters. Ian Smith called an indaba with tribe leaders to gauge support, resulting in universal support among the tribal leaders, but Britain did not consider this representative of the majority black population as the tribal leaders were in the pay of Ian Smith’s Government.[1] The following year, Ian Smith's government made a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, making the country a de facto independent state until returning to British colonial rule in 1979 following the Lancaster House Agreement. The British Government did not accept Southern Rhodesian independence as they did not view the referendum as representative of all of Southern Rhodesia.

Rhodesia
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Rhodesia
Constitutional history — Overview 1890–1923  BSA Company rule 1923–1980  Southern Rhodesia 1953–1963  Rhodesia–Nyasaland Federation 1965–1979  Rhodesia under UDI  1979  Zimbabwe Rhodesia (under UDI)
Government Governor / President Prime Minister
Legislature 1899–1923  Legislative Council 1924–1970  Legislative Assembly 1970–1979  Parliament Leader of the Opposition
Elections General 1924 1928 1933 1934 1939 1946 1948 1954 1958 1962 1965 1970 1974 1977 1979 1980 Legislative Council 1899 1902 1905 1908 1911 1914 1920 Referendums 1922 1934 1953 1961 1964 1969 1979
Political parties African National Congress Communist Party Labour Party Liberal Party Rhodesia Party Rhodesian Action Party Rhodesian Front United African National Council United Federal Party Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU)
Foreign relations Unilateral Declaration of Independence (UDI) Mission in Lisbon Passport
National symbols Flag (other flags) Anthem
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Voter turnout was 61.9%.[2]