Spaniards overwhelmingly endorsed the European Constitution Sunday in a referendum overshadowed by low voter turnout.
About 76.7 per cent of voters backed the constitution, and 17.3 per cent voted against, with 99 per cent of the vote counted.
Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso put voter turnout at 42.4 percent.
Spaniards had "said a loud and clear yes to Europe," Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega said, "opening the way" to ratification of the constitution in other countries which will stage similar referendums.
She said Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's government was "satisfied" with the referendum, though it would have liked higher voter turnout.
Socialist representative Jose Blanco said that turnout was "considerable" given that nearly all the main parties had campaigned in favor of the constitution and that many voters saw the result as a foregone conclusion.
European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Joaquin Almunia described the turnout as "more than acceptable."
Angel Acebes of the main opposition conservative Popular Party said the turnout reflected a "failure" by Zapatero to mobilize voters.
Joan Josep Nuet of the far-left Izquierda Unida (United Left) said that the "very high level of abstention" reflected criticism of the constitution, which his party opposed.
Zapatero had staked much of his credibility on making Spain the first country to ratify the constitution in a popular vote. Zapatero adopted a strongly pro-European foreign policy after ousting a pro-US conservative government in elections 11 months ago.
The parliaments of Hungary, Lithuania and Slovenia have ratified the constitution, but the Spanish referendum was an important precedent for about 10 other EU countries, which will submit the treaty to popular votes.
They include France, Britain and Denmark, where an affirmative result is less certain than in Spain.
Spanish conservatives said at least 50 percent of those eligible should vote for the referendum to be credible, but reports said a 40 percent turnout would be deemed satisfactory by the government.
Turnout in European elections has traditionally been low in Spain, barely topping 45 percent last year.
The government spent about 7 million euros (US$9 million) on an information campaign, which failed to arouse interest in the constitution, with one poll saying that 90 percent of Spaniards knew little or nothing about the treaty.
Turnout was considerably lower than in Spain's three previous referendums since the country became a democracy after the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975. The referendums concerned the return to democracy in 1976, the Spanish constitution in 1978 and NATO membership in 1986.
Some 34.5 million voters were asked to answer the question: "Do you approve the treaty instituting a constitution for Europe?"
Australians were downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) in droves, while one of the world’s largest porn distributors said it was blocking users from its platforms as the country yesterday rolled out sweeping online age restriction. Australia in December became the first country to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media. A separate law now requires artificial intelligence (AI)-powered chatbot services to keep certain content — including pornography, extreme violence and self-harm and eating disorder material — from minors or face fines of up to A$49.5 million (US$34.6 million). The country also joined Britain, France and dozens of US states requiring
ACTIONABLE ADVICE: The majority of chatbots tested provided guidance on weapons, tactics and target selections, with Perplexity and Meta AI deemed to be the least safe From school shootings to synagogue bombings, leading artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots helped researchers plot violent attacks, according to a study published on Wednesday that highlighted the technology’s potential for real-world harm. Researchers from the nonprofit watchdog Center for Countering Digital Hate and CNN posed as 13-year-old boys in the US and Ireland to test 10 chatbots, including ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Perplexity, Deepseek and Meta AI. Eight of the chatbots assisted the make-believe attackers in more than half the responses, providing advice on “locations to target” and “weapons to use” in an attack, the study said. The chatbots had become a “powerful accelerant for
Hungarian authorities temporarily detained seven Ukrainian citizens and seized two armored cars carrying tens of millions of euros in cash across Hungary on suspicion of money laundering, officials said on Friday. The Ukrainians were released on Friday, following their detention on Thursday, but Hungarian officials held onto the cash, prompting Ukraine to accuse Hungary’s Russia-friendly government of illegally seizing the money. “We will not tolerate this state banditism,” Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha said. The seven detained Ukrainians were employees of the Ukrainian state-owned Oschadbank, who were traveling in the two armored cars that were carrying the money between Austria and
Kosovar President Vjosa Osmani on Friday after dissolving the Kosovar parliament said a snap election should be held as soon as possible to avoid another prolonged political crisis in the Balkan country at a time of global turmoil. Osmani said it is important for Kosovo to wrap up the upcoming election process and form functional institutions for political stability as the war rages in the Middle East. “Precisely because the geopolitical situation is that complex, it is important to finish this electoral process which is coming up,” she said. “It is very hard now to imagine what will happen next.” Kosovo, which declared
RSS