LITHUANIA: LITHUANIA VOTED STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF JOINING THE EUROPEAN UNION NEXT YEAR

Record ID: 328661

  • Title: LITHUANIA: LITHUANIA VOTED STRONGLY IN FAVOUR OF JOINING THE EUROPEAN UNION NEXT YEAR
  • Date: 11th May 2003
  • Summary: (W8) VILNIUS, LITHUANIA (MAY 11, 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. CU BOX BEING UNSEALED 0.03 2. SV ELECTION COMMISSION OFFICIALS COUNTING VOTES (2 SHOTS) 0.15 3. CU BALLOT WITH "YES" CIRCLE CROSSED 0.21 4. SV OFFICIALS COUNTING VOTES (2 SHOTS) 0.27 5. SV LITHUANIA'S PRESIDENT ROLANDAS PAKSAS ARRIVING IN HIS OFFICE, SHOWING VICTORY SIGN 0.32 6. SV FOLK BAND PLAYING MUSIC 0.35 7. SV PAKSAS SHARING A DRINK WITH OFFICIALS 0.40 8. SV BAND PLAYING 0.44 9. MCU (English) LITHUANIA'S PRESIDENT ROLANDAS PAKSAS SAYING: (QUESTION: "Do you think the referendum has happened?) "I think so. (QUESTION: What do you think about the result?) "We won." 0.52 10. PAN/SV PEOPLE CELEBRATING AT THE SQUARE OUTSIDE THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE IN VILNIUS (4 SHOTS) 1.13 11. MCU (English) VOTER, ELIJUS BURGIS SAYING: "I have been waiting for this for a long time. I am really happy there are no formal obstacles anymore left for Lithuania joining the EU. I hope that after one year we will be in the European Union and we will be a happy family." 1.28 12. MCU (English) VOTER, DOVILE BURGIENE SAYING: "We felt European for a very long time, this is in our history and we had a chance to say it today." 1.34 13. SLV/CU/SV OF PEOPLE CELEBRATING (3 SHTOS) 1.44 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 26th May 2003 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VILNIUS, LITHUANIA
  • Country: Lithuania
  • Reuters ID: LVA5SZHPIZ27AFWNZZ3SD8SGSR7W
  • Story Text: Lithuanians voted strongly in favour of joining the
    European Union next year in a two-day referendum.



    The "Yes" vote would complete the ex-Soviet republic's
    return to mainstream Europe after more than a decade of
    reforms and would give a boost to other candidate countries
    yet to hold their ballots on EU entry.

    The election committee said on Sunday (May 11) that after
    21 percent of the vote had been counted, 89 percent had voted
    in favour.

    The small Baltic country is one of 10 mostly ex-communist
    states hoping to join the EU, and the fourth hopeful to vote
    in favour of joining the wealthy club after Malta, Slovenia
    and Hungary all voted "Yes" earlier this year.

    The referendum needed half the electorate to cast their
    ballots to be valid, and the pro-EU political elite led a
    frantic campaign urging people to vote, with politicians near
    panic after lacklustre turnout on Saturday.

    Fears that apathy could kill the vote lasted well into the
    final day of voting on Sunday, but numbers of votes cast
    jumped around midday and stood at around 63 percent, including
    postal votes, an hour before polls closed.

    Celebrations were already underway in the capital Vilnius,
    with President Rolandas Paksas enjoying a glass of champagne
    in his office.

    Many see the Lithuania poll as a critical test ahead of
    referendums in Slovakia next week and Poland in June, which
    have similar turnout requirements and struggle with voter
    apathy.

    A Lithuanian thumbs-up would also be expected to give a
    boost to pro-EU camps in its more euro-sceptic Baltic
    neighbours Latvia and Estonia ahead of referendums in
    September.

    "I have been waiting for this for a long time. I am really
    happy there are no formal obstacles anymore left for Lithuania
    joining the EU. I hope that after one year we will be in the
    European Union and we will be a happy family," said Elijus
    Burgis, one of several hundred people who gathered for a
    concert outside the President's office.

    "We felt European for a very long time, this is in our
    history and we had a chance to say it today," said another
    voter, Dovile Burgiene.




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