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Poland Votes Overwhelmingly to Join EU
Voice of America ^ | 09 Jun 2003, 00:34 UTC | Stefan Bos

Posted on 06/08/2003 9:34:51 PM PDT by yonif

Poland has voted overwhelmingly Saturday and Sunday to join the European Union. Early results show eight out of 10 Poles voted for EU membership.

Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski tells a cheering crowd at the presidential palace, the vote represents what he called Poland's return to Europe. He spoke shortly after early results made it clear more than 50 percent of voters -- the minimum required to make the ballot legally valid -- turned out to vote.

Local television also reported more than 80 percent of the voters said "Tak" -- the Polish for "Yes" -- to the ballot question: "Do you express your consent for the Republic of Poland to join the European Union?"

The outcome came as a major boost for embattled Prime Minister Leszek Miller, whose government saw its popularity decline in the wake of corruption scandals and widespread anger over high unemployment. Mr. Miller and other political leaders campaigned heavily for membership, which they believe will help Poland to overcome a legacy of 40 years of communist rule that ended in 1989.

Speaking to a pro-EU crowd, Mr. Miller made clear his country still faces major challenges. "We are returning to Europe with the tremendous potential of the Polish people." He cautions, however, that Poland has a hard road ahead in trying to bring its economy up to EU levels.

With nearly 40 million people, Poland will become the largest of the 10 candidate countries vying to join the 15-nation bloc next year. It is expected to hold voting power equal to Spain's and behind only Great Britain, Germany, France and Italy.

With most Poles supporting EU membership, the only question before the two-day referendum was whether enough voters would bother to vote. The government even asked European leaders, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, to encourage Poles to cast their ballots.

Polish-born Pope John Paul II himself went out of his way to encourage mainly Catholic Poland to seize this historic opportunity and go out and vote. As he put it, "the Church in Europe needs the Polish peoples' witness to the faith."

News about the outcome of Poland's referendum is expected to be welcomed in the Czech Republic, which will vote on EU-membership next week, followed by the Baltic states of Latvia and Estonia in September.

Hungary, Slovakia, Slovenia, Malta and Lithuania have already approved entry into the European Union. Cyprus is the only candidate country that does not intend to hold a referendum on the issue.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: cyprus; eu; europe; hungary; lithuania; malta; poland; slovakia; slovenia; vote
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1 posted on 06/08/2003 9:34:51 PM PDT by yonif
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To: yonif
Most Americans forget that the ex-communists (under a new name) won elections in Poland. Funny how much of "new Europe" is mostly ruled by old communists.
2 posted on 06/08/2003 9:38:59 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: Destro
Poland was with us from the start in the war in Iraq.
3 posted on 06/08/2003 9:46:01 PM PDT by yonif
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To: yonif
Another one bites the dust...
4 posted on 06/08/2003 9:47:48 PM PDT by ApesForEvolution ("The only way evil triumphs is if good men do nothing" E. Burke)
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To: yonif
That is the irony ain't it? Ex-communists that Solidarity threw out of power now our closest allies.
5 posted on 06/08/2003 9:49:25 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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To: yonif
Poland has a history of being free for only short periods. But this time their government willingly puts the yoke back on them.
6 posted on 06/08/2003 9:57:45 PM PDT by Arkinsaw
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To: yonif
I'm in Poland twice a year, and this decision is one the Poles made with fingers crossed. There will be a lot of pain coming with EU membership, a host of heavy-handed regulations out of Brussels, adverse pressure on Polish agriculture, especially the small farmers of which there are many thousands (despite Communism.)

My hope is that Poland, and the other new members, will work together to offset the power of France and Germany (as they did in the Iraq crisis.)

7 posted on 06/08/2003 10:50:45 PM PDT by Malesherbes
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To: Malesherbes
I believe that Poland will be a thorn in France's side.
8 posted on 06/08/2003 11:49:34 PM PDT by afuturegovernor
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To: yonif
Foolish Poles.
9 posted on 06/09/2003 12:08:37 AM PDT by ppaul
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To: yonif
On a hopeful note,

If "new Europe" joining the EU now, combined with countries such as the UK can wrest the balance of power in the EU from the franco-german alliance, the EU might yet be saved.

However, Giscard destaing (sp?) and his constitution does not bode well..
10 posted on 06/09/2003 3:20:25 AM PDT by Eurotwit
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To: yonif
This whole EU thing... sheesh. It's doomed from the start.

At some date certain, they'll suffer socialist economic collapse. They'll see member states start civil "war" to get out of the union to save themselves. I hope the EU hasn't empowered itself to the extent that it has to kill its own constituents to retain power.

Regardless, FReedom loving, capitalist, arrogant America will save their collective arses - and we'll be hated for it. How ironic.

11 posted on 06/09/2003 5:11:33 AM PDT by Principled
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To: Malesherbes
Poland was used to getting their orders and table scraps from Moscow. Now they will get them from Paris and Berlin, by way of Brussels. Sad.
12 posted on 06/09/2003 5:21:43 AM PDT by epluribus_2
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To: ppaul
Foolish Poles.

Wrong way to look at this. We now have a friend inside the EU. The Poles can do to the EU what France has done to the UN.

This will be fun.

13 posted on 06/09/2003 5:52:02 AM PDT by The_Victor
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To: yonif
I'm curious. Should the Poles ever decide to leave the E.U., can they vote to leave? Or would that involve war?
14 posted on 06/09/2003 5:53:27 AM PDT by keats5
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To: keats5
can they vote to leave?

I believe so. Just like we can vote to leave the UN.

15 posted on 06/09/2003 6:07:12 AM PDT by yonif
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To: yonif
Trojan Horse.
16 posted on 06/09/2003 6:07:45 AM PDT by The Iguana
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To: keats5
I'm curious. Should the Poles ever decide to leave the E.U., can they vote to leave? Or would that involve war?

It's the latter.

17 posted on 06/09/2003 7:05:34 AM PDT by Smile-n-Win (The EU will break up any day, but the USA is here to stay!)
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To: Destro
You are right....this is often forgotten.
18 posted on 06/09/2003 7:06:50 AM PDT by Captain Kirk
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To: yonif
Poland was with us from the start in the war in Iraq.

Poland is a loyal ally. It doesn't hurt us to have some of those in the EU -- to counteract the French and Germans and Swedes.
19 posted on 06/09/2003 9:19:26 AM PDT by FreeTheHostages
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To: epluribus_2
Now the Germans can reclaim Silesia and Pomerania without having to fire a shot.
20 posted on 06/09/2003 9:21:19 AM PDT by dfwgator
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