A constitutional referendum was held in Guinea on 28 September 1958 as part of a wider referendum across the French Union (and France itself) on whether to adopt the new French Constitution. If the territory voted to accept the new constitution, it would then have four months to decide whether to Preserve the status of overseas territory. Become a state of the French Community. Become an overseas department (part of the French Republic). Alongside Niger, Guinea was one of only two territories where the major political party campaigned for a "no" vote, and ultimately was the only territory to reject the constitution and opt for independence. The Democratic Party of Guinea, which had won all but four seats in the Territorial Assembly election the previous year under the leadership of Ahmed Sékou Touré, pushed for a rejection of the constitution, and on 19 October the party severed its ties with the African Democratic Rally, whose other members were in favour of retaining ties with France. The results showed that more than 95% of voters in Guinea voted against the constitution, with a turnout of 85.5%. Results Aftermath Following the referendum, Guinea declared independence on 2 October. The French government reacted badly to the result, and although Touré had not been seeking it, withdrew totally from the country and halted any development assistance. As a result, the Guinean government turned to the Communist bloc to request aid, a step which the French government used in pressuring Western countries not to accept the Guinean independence. Upon independence Touré assumed the office of President, and the country soon became a one-party state. Despite various assassination attempts and coup plots, Touré ruled until his death in 1984. References Referendums in Guinea Guinea Guinea Guinea Constitutional Constitutional referendums