The NEC has begun preparations for a national referendum on August 23rd to amend four aspects of the Constitution that relate to elections. Both houses of the legislature passed the four amendments in August 2010, but they must be ratified by two-thirds of registered voters in a referendum before they can pass into law. The issues under consideration are relatively straightforward; more controversial changes such as a reduction in the tenure of elected officials and the ending of presidential immunity were removed from the referendum. The issues remaining are: reducing from ten years to five years the period during which presidential candidates must have been resident in the country preceding an election, reflecting the large flows of emigration following past conflicts; moving the election date from October to November in order to avoid the worst of the rainy season; changing the requirement from an absolute majority to a simple one for offices other than the presidency; and raising the retirement age for Supreme Court judges from 70 to 75.