Referendum
| Year | Date | Event | Significance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | July 29 | Mosaddeq's cabinet decrees that referendum vote will have separately placed ballot boxes for yes or no ballots and "each ballot must be clearly inscribed with the full name of the voter and the number and place of issue of his identity card." | Abandonment of secret ballot is a violation of 1906 Constitution's insistence on a secret ballot. |
| 1953 | August 10 | Yes wins with 99% approval, 2,043,300 vote to 1300 no votes. Mosaddeq now has authority to dissolve parliament. | "The transparent unfairness of this referendum more grist for the anti-Mosaddeq mill." |
| 1953 | mid-August | Referendum gives Mosaddeq unprecedented powers, but government is weakened by dwindling oil revenues, increasing unemployment and rising consumer inflation. | Mosaddeq appears to be in full control but is losing his popular backing. |
Read more about this topic: Abadan Crisis Timeline