A 2001 reform referendum was hijacked into a new absolute-monarchy constitution

Evidence

All of this seemed possible in 2001 when the young, then sheikh Hamad submitted a National Action Charter, outlining a set of moderate reforms, for referendum. It was approved by 98 percent of the population. But Sheikh Hamad decided to interpret this as a mandate to subsequently write an entirely new constitution and keep power for himself. The opposition—leftists like Sharif, the Shia parties, democrats, anyone who opposed absolute monarchy—was floored. They had been played. — Vincent Bevins, If We Burn, 252

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The regime sought to amend the constitution to make parliament pliant; The regime next targeted parliament for constitutional reform — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1030

Broader Connections

• The regime sought to amend the constitution to make parliament pliant #expands (0.82)
• The regime next targeted parliament for constitutional reform #expands (0.78) — Abdi Ismail Samatar, Africa’s First Democrats, 1030