Czech Republic votes in EU referendum

Czechs were voting today in a two-day referendum on whether to join the European Union, a move designed to bring the former communist nation firmly into the Western fold and boost its economy.

Opinion polls showed a majority of Czechs support the idea, but the same polls also suggested some misgivings.

Some opponents fear it is too early for the country – which overthrew communism in 1989 and split from Slovakia in 1993 – to cede part of its sovereignty to the expanding trade bloc.

Others worry the economy will be more hampered than helped by membership in the large bureaucratic structure centred in Brussels.

Only 63% of the 969 voters asked by the CVVM polling agency said they favour joining the EU, with the rest either against or undecided.

About 15,000 polling stations opened to 8.2 million eligible voters this afternoon in warm and mostly sunny weather.

Voting continues tomorrow, with preliminary results expected soon after polls close at 2pm (1300 BST).

Prime Minister Vladmir Spidla today appealed to Czechs to cast “yes” ballots, saying membership would mark a historic end to the divisions of the Cold War era.

“Should we not join, a curtain will go down around our borders – a curtain which will not be iron, but still will be very real,” Spidla said in a televised address.

Other leaders, however, have been lukewarm about the idea, including President Vaclav Klaus, a well-respected “Eurosceptic.”

“We lost our identity completely in the communist era,” Klaus . “There should have been some reasonably long phase to ‘enjoy’ our sovereignty – a phase for us to find ourselves.”

The government waged a “yes” campaign, but failed to either explain why people should support EU membership or to address widespread fears that prices could rise steeply after joining the union.

Still, many voters questioned today expressed their eagerness to join.

One voter in Prague, Vladimir Fiser, 82, said he had voted yes in the hope of ensuring a democratic future for the nation.

“I have lived most of my life under totalitarian regimes and I think a united Europe can prevent that from happening again,” he said.

The binding referendum is the first ever held in the Czech Republic and has no turn-out requirement.

But an extremely low turn-out or anything less than a 50% “yes” vote may rob Spidla’s government of the support he will need to force the country to accept the tough reforms needed for membership – and could endanger his government altogether.