Spain gives big 'yes' to EU charter but few vote

MADRID - Spaniards has given an overwhelming "yes" to the European Union's new constitution in a referendum, but a low turnout may have dented EU hopes the vote would send a strong signal across the 25-nation bloc.

Supporters of the charter had hoped europhile Spain, the first member state to submit the constitution to a referendum, would set a strong example for waverers in the bloc.

However, the results showed a mixed picture.

Voters approved the constitution by about 77 per cent to 17 per cent, official results showed with 83 per cent of the votes counted. About 6 per cent of votes cast were blank.

Turnout was 42.4 per cent, short of the already low 45.9 per cent turnout in elections to the European Parliament in June.

The opposition Popular Party said turnout was the second lowest among 29 referendums held in the European Union and blamed Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

"You have to acknowledge reality. ... When a lot more Spaniards don't vote than do, it's a failure for the person who called the referendum and that was the Prime Minister," said Angel Acebes, number two in the Popular Party.

European Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia, a Spanish Socialist, said the turnout was "more than acceptable " and showed Spaniards realised their future lay with Europe.

"The fact that it exceeded 40 per cent ... is positive, although it is true we would have liked a larger turnout, " Almunia told state radio.

Zapatero has staked his reputation on making Spaniards, who joined the EU in 1986 and have done well out of membership, the first to approve the document.

The opposition has criticised Zapatero for rushing Spaniards to the polls and failing to explain the contents of the charter sufficiently. Polls show ignorance of the charter is widespread.

An exit poll commissioned by state TV showed significant "no" votes in the Basque country and Catalonia, where small separatist parties had backed a "no" vote, saying the constitution did not recognise their regional identities.

As many as a third of the voters opted for "no" in the Basque country and more than a quarter in Catalonia, according to the exit poll.

Nearly 35 million voters were eligible to answer the question: "Do you approve the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe?"

Some 106,000 police were on alert for potential violence from the armed Basque separatist group ETA, but no incidents were reported. On Thursday, police arrested a man and woman in Valencia with explosives for an "imminent" attack.

Unlike eurosceptics in Britain and Denmark, the Spanish are friendly to the EU thanks to an economic boom associated with 86 billion euros ($156.84 billion) of subsidies over the past 20 years.

The charter needs ratification by all 25 EU members to take effect and EU leaders hoped Spain could set a good example for eight other countries due to hold referendums.

The referendum is not legally binding. Parliament still needs to ratify it, although Zapatero said he would respect public opinion.

- REUTERS