Czech Republic goes to the polls over EU
The Czech Republic is voting today over whether it should join the European Union.
The referendum is the first ever held in the country and has no turnout requirement after the fall of the communist regime in 1989.
The Czech Republic signed the accession treaty at an Athens summit in April, but it’s not official until voters approve it. Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla’s government is hoping to lead the country into the union but there is concern that a low turnout or anything below a 50% ‘yes’ vote may make it hard for him to force the country to accept the tough reforms needed for membership.
Newspapers in the country are in support of joining the EU and are confident that the referendum will be won, despite a strong campaign by detractors who focused on what they saw as the ‘clear shortcomings’ of joining.
Both broadsheets and tabloids have been asking readers to vote yes, saying that joining the EU will help them to break away once and for all from the legacy of the East European Communist empire.
Voters in Poland, Hungary, Lithuania, Malta, Slovenia and Slovakia have already backed joining the EU in referendums.
