Spaniards to vote in EU constitution referendum

The European Union constitution faced its first test at the grass-roots level today as Spaniards started a referendum vote, with the prospect of low turnout threatening to get the landmark document off to a sluggish start.

Both of Spain’s major parties back the charter and passage was expected, but the government has acknowledged that turnout might be very low, saying it would consider 33 % reasonable. The referendum is non-binding, with Parliament having the final say.