Lithuanians voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the European Union in a national referendum that ended Sunday
Published:
12 May 2003 y., Monday
Lithuanians voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining the European Union in a national referendum that ended Sunday, becoming the first ex-Soviet republic to approve membership in the expanding bloc.
Fireworks exploded over the capital, Vilnius, and Lithuanians celebrated with champagne toasts. Lithuania's staunchly pro-EU leaders called the referendum a turning point in the history of the Baltic Sea country of 3.5 million, bounced for so many centuries between one regional power to another.
With 1,969 of the country's 2,040 districts counted, or 97 percent, election officials said unofficial returns showed 91 percent voted in favor of joining, while 9 percent voted "no."
More than 64 percent of the nation's 2.7 million registered voters cast ballots -- exceeding the required 50 percent minimum. A dramatic surge in voting Sunday eliminated fears that low turnout would invalidate the two-day referendum.
Official results were expected later this week.
"Who will be the winner today? Lithuania is the winner," Parliamentary Speaker Arturas Paulauskas declared, raising a glass of champagne.
Šaltinis:
edition.cnn.com
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
On 9 August, Daiva Valerija Čekanauskas-Navarrette started her duties as the new Lithuania’s Honorary Consul in the United States.
more »
On 10 August in Washington, Lithuania’s Ambassador Žygimantas Pavilionis presented his credentials to President of the United States of America Barack Obama.
more »
Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs sent letters of condolences to his Russian counterpart S. Lavrov and Minister of Transport, co-chairman of the Intergovernmental Lithuanian-Russian Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technical, Humanitarian and Cultural Cooperation I. Levitin, expressing his condolences regarding the victims of violent forest fires in Russia.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė sent congratulations on behalf of herself and the people of Lithuania to the President of Macedonia, Gjorge Ivanov, on Macedonia's national holiday, the Day of the Republic.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė sent congratulations on behalf of herself and the people of Lithuania to the President of the Swiss Confederation, Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss National Day.
more »
On 29 July in Vilnius, at a convention of country chairmen of the Lithuanian World Community and the Lithuanian Youth Union, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis invited world Lithuanians to engage actively in the discussion on the strategy of “Global Lithuania”.
more »
On 27 July, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis sent a letter to Iceland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Össur Skarphéðinsson congratulating Iceland on the start of EU membership negotiations.
more »
On 26 July, Lithuania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Audronius Ažubalis sent a letter to Germany’s Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle expressing his condolences to the families and relatives of the victims , who died during a techno music festival in Duisburg.
more »
President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė received letters of credence from Mr. Nguyen Hoang as the Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Mr. Deepak Vohra as the Ambassador of the Republic of India.
more »
President Dalia Grybauskaitė received Eastern European political business and public women leaders.
more »