The Constitution of Belarus, as amended in 1996, provided for a two-term limit on the presidential mandate. On 7 September 2004, President Lukashenko, in office since 1994, called a referendum to take place 17 October 2004, in which voters would be asked to answer the following single question: “Do you allow the first President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko to participate in the presidential election as a candidate for the post of the President of the Republic of Belarus and do you accept Part 1 of Article 81 of the Constitution of the Republic of Belarus in the wording that follows: “The President shall be elected directly by the people of the Republic of Belarus for a term of five years by universal, free, equal, direct and secret ballot?” This question in fact covered both the question of the ability of President Lukashenko to run for a third term of office and the amendment of Article 81 by removing the two-term limitation. The result of the referendum overwhelmingly supported the proposal.