Hungary ‘Yes’ vote sparks celebration despite low turnout

Date: 17/04/03

By David Cronin

IN AN enthusiastic statement, the European Commission hailed Hungary's vote in favour of EU membership last weekend as "a momentous occasion for rejoicing".

Not everyone in the Union's prospective states saw it like that. Some paid more attention to the low turnout (46 of the electorate) than to the fact that 84 of those who went to the polls voted 'Yes'.

Slovakia's Deputy Prime Minister Pál Csáky noted his country's 16-17 May referendum could fail if the results are similar to Hungary's. Slovak law requires at least half of registered voters to participate for a referendum to be declared valid. Csáky labelled the Hungarian turnout "a very strong warning" for Slovaks.

In Malta, the victory of the Nationalist Party in last Saturday's (April 12) election means that Valletta's place in the Union is secure; the opposition Labour Party had been threatening to ignore the narrow win for the 'Yes' side in March's referendum if it won.

The news was greeted with Biblical allusions by Salvu Felice Pace, a columnist with The Times of Malta. He said the endorsement of Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami reminded him of the scene in Luke's gospel, where holy man Simeon is presented with the infant Jesus in a temple and proclaims 'Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace because my eyes have seen the salvation for all the nations to see'.

"Like Simeon, many of us feel a sense of release," the journalist opined. "And also a sense of fulfilment. The moment we have been waiting for has arrived."

More prosaically, Estonia's foreign minister has said a perception that the EU could suffocate the country with red tape is "creating danger for the referendum" (polling day: 14 September). Kristiina Ojuland told European Voice there is a feeling among Estonians that some EU regulations are "unnecessary and silly".

"If we look at all the very tough regulations on sanitary issues, then sometimes very small things are over-regulated," she added.

Still, she believes the fact that the three parties in the country's new government are committed to achieving a 'Yes' vote augurs well. Tallinn has earmarked about €1.8 million for the referendum campaign; intriguingly both pro- and anti-EU groups will be able to draw funds from the public coffers.

Rock band The Who's Magic Bus might prove an appropriate campaign tune in fellow Baltic state Lithuania. For the country has recently seen a 'Eurobus' hitting the roads; it is due to ferry EU-supportive politicians, pop stars and other celebrities to 20 towns by the 11 May polling day.

"Aside from Slovenia, Lithuania is the only EU candidate country that has a Eurobus," said a Commission official based in Vilnius.

Meanwhile, Prague's trams and metro cars are being emblazoned with 'Vote Yes' slogans as part of a €6.2 million publicity blitz. According to The Prague Post, this is "the most expensive political campaign" in Czech history.

The Hungarian referendum on the country's proposed membership of the EU took place on 13 April 2003 with only 46% of the electorate turning out to vote. However of those, 84% voted in favour of joining the EU.

http://www.mfa.gov.hu/kum/en/bal/ http://www.mfa.gov.hu/kum/en/bal/

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