Croats say ‘yes’ to EU membership
Croatia's president Ivo Josipovic casts his ballot at a polling station in Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Croatians vote Sunday in a nationwide referendum on whether to join the European Union, a test of how much the debt-stricken 27-nation bloc has lost its appeal among potential new members. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
A voter casts his ballot at a polling station in Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Croatians vote Sunday in a nationwide referendum on whether to join the European Union, a test of how much the debt-stricken 27-nation bloc has lost its appeal among potential new members. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
Voters cast their ballots at a polling station in Zagreb, Croatia, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. Croatians vote Sunday in a nationwide referendum on whether to join the European Union, a test of how much the debt-stricken 27-nation bloc has lost its appeal among potential new members. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic)
ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatia’s state referendum commission says a majority of Croats have voted in favor of joining the debt-stricken European Union.
Officials say that with about 30 percent of the
ballot calculated, about
67 percent of those who took part in the referendum Sunday answered “yes” to the question: “Do you support the membership of the Republic of Croatia in the European Union?”
About 32 percent were against, while the rest of the ballots were invalid. About 42 percent of eligible voters took part in the referendum, illustrating voters’ apathy toward the 27-nation bloc.
Croatia signed an EU accession treaty last year and will become its 28th member in July 2013 after all the bloc’s states ratify the deal.