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Tuesday, Feb 22, 2005

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International

Spanish voters endorse E.U. Constitution

By Nicholas Watt and Ben Sills

MADRID, FEB. 21. The European Constitution passed its first major hurdle last night when Spanish voters overwhelmingly endorsed the historic document in the first of 10 referendums that will be held across Europe over the next 18 months.

As voting ended across Spain, the Ministry of the Interior said 77 per cent had approved the constitution and 17 per cent had said no — based on results from the 57 per cent of the ballots that had already been counted.

However, European leaders, who had hoped that voters in one of the most pro-E.U. countries would turn out in large numbers, will be disappointed that less than half the population bothered to vote. The turnout was 42 per cent. Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, Spain's young socialist Prime Minister, immediately hailed the result after he took a gamble in holding the first referendum to impress France and Germany with his pro-European credentials.

Low expectations

Government sources in Madrid had carefully lowered expectations in the week — saying at one point they expected a mere 30 per cent of voters to turn out — which allowed them to describe last night's figures as a triumph.

But there will be nerves in chancelleries across Europe as leaders of the other nine countries holding referendums assess their chances of enthusing their voters. One in 10 voters in Spain, which has benefited to the tune of £60 billion since joining the then EC in 1986, said they understood the Constitution.

Jacques Chirac, the French President, who appeared at a rally in Barcelona to endorse the yes campaign, is likely to fear that the low turnout in Spain will be exploited by the no camp in France which is building up a strong momentum. Amid fears that he could be facing a rerun of the 1992 Maastricht treaty referendum — when the no camp almost overturned the yes side's strong lead — Mr. Chirac is expected to announce a short campaign a week today. As the result of the Spanish referendum was digested across the continent, pro-Europeans expressed delight. Denis MacShane, Britain's Europe Minister, said: ``The Spanish people have rejected the appeals of the no camp strongly and have voted clearly in favour of the new treaty. This is a welcome result on the eve of the meeting between the E.U. and the United States. The new treaty strengthens the role of member states in Europe.''

The British Government will be looking to Spain's conservative People's Party, led by Mariano Rajo who campaigned for a yes vote, to win round Tories in Britain.

``Perhaps the Spanish conservatives in the PP can now come and explain to British Tories why the new treaty makes sense for all mainstream democratic parties,'' Mr. MacShane said.

Voting got off to a slow start in Madrid yesterday — at one polling station turnout had reached just 13 per cent by 1p.m. The vast majority of those who did turn up were either pensioners or approaching retirement.

With 300,000 people eligible to vote for the first time yesterday, there had been hopes that the Madrid's famously nocturnal and often political disinterested young people would get to the polling stations later on to boost the numbers.

Those younger voters who did show up were more likely to have actually read the constitution than the pensioners. Vicente (20), a student making his way home long after polling had opened, said: ``The constitution makes out that immigration is a problem, but I don't see it like that. I'm also opposed to the free market so I'll vote no.'' — © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2004

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Spanish voters endorse E.U. Constitution