(Vatican Radio) Dutch voters went to the polls Wednesday in a referendum on whether the Netherlands should ratify an Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine. Though the ballot has been described as a non-binding "advisory referendum" the EU's leadership and Kiev fear it could lead to a European crisis amid wider anti-EU sentiments.
Listen to Stefan Bos’ report from The Hague:
The polls opened early in the Netherlands after an intensive campaign in which both sides desperately tried to convince Dutch voters to either vote yes or no in a referendum on ratifying a deal fostering closer links between Ukraine and the European Union.
The EU Association Agreement with Ukraine mainly deals with political and economic integration. Yet those opposing the deal argue it is another step towards eventual EU membership for one of Europe's most corrupt nations.
Politicians of the ruling conservative-Liberal VVD Party and its junior left-leaning Labor party are among those who argue however that it is good for business and is an opportunity to help Ukraine fight corruption and establish a democracy with EU values that includes more human rights and a free press.
MANY VOTE NO
Most voters Vatican Radio talked to said they would vote "No," and opinion polls suggested that a “No” vote is likely. One poll was even held in the Dutch town of De Krim or Crimea, which shares its name with the Ukrainian region that was annexed by Russia in 2014 following a controversial referendum.
Seventy-six percent of residents who made up their minds told pollsters that they would vote against the deal.
Yet the ruling VVD party's parliamentary party leader, Halbe Zijlstra, said during a televised debate late Tuesday that a no vote in Wednesday's advisory referendum doesn't automatically mean the government has to accept the results. "We have to see what is the impact of that no vote," he said.
"Of course we have to do something with it. As politicians we have a responsibility...But I will only take that responsibility when all the cards are on the table. This referendum is just one of those cards."
However those opposing the deal say it is crucial to respect the referendum's outcome. Firebrand lawmaker Geert Wilders of the influential anti-Islam Party for Freedom used the television debate to attack the increasingly unpopular government.
POLITICAL SUICIDE?
Wilders said that if Prime Minister Mark Rutte "doesn't accept a no vote, he will be even more unreliable than he already is according to the people. It would be political suicide."
The referendum reflects a wider debate in the Netherlands on what critics view as the ever expanding EU and the interference by Brussels in nation's internal affairs.
EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has even said that a "No" vote would in his words open the door to a great continental crisis." And Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko says his nation is suffering because of an internal debate in the Netherlands. ""The real purpose for the internal Dutch discussion is about the future of the European Union and internal political clashes," Poroshenko told reporters.
"I think this is very dangerous for a country of 45 million [people]... to become the victim of this discussion if this referendum would have a negative result, despite of the fact that this is not a binding referendum," he added
EUROMAIDAN REVOLUTION
He and others also recall that more than 80 people were killed while demonstrating for freedom and Western values in the winter of 2014 during what became known as the 'Euromaidan Revolution' which led to the overthrow of the Russian-backed president Viktor Yanukovych
But critics say it doesn't help that leaked documents about the current Western-backed President Poroshenko, a former businessman, reveal a secret offshore company setup in Poroshenko’s name which did not disclose public income statements.
Wednesday's referendum in the Netherlands also closely watched in Britain, which is holding its own referendum on whether to leave the EU in June, and countries such as Hungary, where the prime minister has complained about what he views as Brussels trying to take away sovereignty from nations.
The threshold for the Dutch referendum to be taken into account is a voter turnout of 30 percent, and it wasn't clear whether that would be reached. Dutch public broadcaster NOS said it would not publish turnout figures during the referendum as this could impact the results.
