Dutch officials seek last-minute support for EU constitution News
Dutch officials seek last-minute support for EU constitution

[JURIST] Government officials in the Netherlands [government website in Dutch] are making a final plea to Dutch voters in an effort to persuade them to support the European constitution in a June 1 referendum, an uphill battle after voters in France rejected the charter [JURIST report] earlier this week. Unlike the French vote however, the Dutch poll is not binding on the government and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende [Wikipedia profile] has said that a "no" vote would only be accepted if at least 30 percent of registered voters turned out and if at least 55 percent of those voters rejected the constitution. Recent polls indicate that the Dutch are tending towards rejection [JURIST report] as parties on both sides of the political spectrum have found faults with the European pact. AP has more.