Croatian European Union membership referendum, 2012

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Croatian European Union membership referendum, 2012
Approves accession of the Republic of Croatia to the European Union, as required prior to the Croatian Parliament ratifying the EU Accession Treaty
Results
Votes %
Yes check.svgYes1,299,00866.67%
X mark.svgNo 649,49033.33%
Valid votes 1,948,49899.40%
Invalid or blank votes 11,7330.6%
Total votes1,960,231100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 4,504,76543.51%
Results by county
Croatia EU referendum results.svg
  Yes 55%–60%
  Yes 60%–65%
  Yes 65%–70%
  Yes 70%–75%
  Yes >75%
Source: State Election Committee [1]
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Constitution

A referendum on the EU accession of the Republic of Croatia was held on 22 January 2012. Croatia finished accession (membership) negotiations on 30 June 2011 and signed the Treaty of Accession on 9 December 2011, setting it on course to become the bloc's 28th member state. The Constitution of Croatia requires that a binding referendum be held on any political union reducing national sovereignty, such as via European Union membership. On 23 December 2011 the Croatian Parliament made a preliminary decision on EU accession and determined that the referendum would be held on 22 January 2012. The 2012 Croatian EU accession referendum was the first referendum held in Croatia since the Croatian independence referendum held more than 20 years earlier, in 1991.

Croatia Republic in Central Europe

Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, on the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro to the southeast, sharing a maritime border with Italy. Its capital, Zagreb, forms one of the country's primary subdivisions, along with twenty counties. Croatia has an area of 56,594 square kilometres and a population of 4.28 million, most of whom are Roman Catholics.

Treaty of Accession 2011

The Treaty of Accession 2011 is an agreement between the member states of the European Union and Croatia concerning Croatia's accession to the EU. It was signed on 9 December 2011 in Brussels by the heads of state or government of the 27 member states and by the President of Croatia, Ivo Josipović, and Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor.

Member state of the European Union state that is party to treaties of the European Union (EU)

The European Union (EU) consists of 28 member states. Each member state is party to the founding treaties of the union and thereby subject to the privileges and obligations of membership. Unlike members of most international organisations, the member states of the EU are subjected to binding laws in exchange for representation within the common legislative and judicial institutions. Member states must agree unanimously for the EU to adopt policies concerning defence and foreign policy. Subsidiarity is a founding principle of the EU.

Contents

The Croatian EU accession referendum campaign officially began on 3 January 2012; a yes vote was supported by both the political parties in government and the larger opposition parties in Croatia. The largest parties' joint support of EU membership existed since 2005, when the Alliance for Europe (Croatian : Savez za Europu) was set up as an informal alliance aimed at achieving membership as a strategic goal of Croatian foreign policy. Opposition to Croatian EU accession was voiced by non-parliamentary parties only. The pro-membership and informational campaign – which included television promotional videos, addresses by leading government and opposition politicians, and information booklets mailed to every household in Croatia – was announced to have cost 4.8 million kuna (c. € 640,000). Opinion polling was regularly carried out by three different agencies; since May 2011, percentages supporting EU membership ranged between 55% and 63%. The Croatian State Election Committee was in charge of vote organization, ballot counting and result publication.

Croatian language South Slavic language

Croatian is the standardized variety of the Serbo-Croatian language used by Croats, principally in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Serbian province of Vojvodina and other neighboring countries. It is the official and literary standard of Croatia and one of the official languages of the European Union. Croatian is also one of the official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a recognized minority language in Serbia and neighboring countries.

The Republic of Croatia is a sovereign country at the crossroads of Central Europe, Southeast Europe, and the Mediterranean that declared its independence from SFR Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991. Croatia is a member of the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN), the Council of Europe, NATO, the World Trade Organization (WTO), Union for the Mediterranean and a number of many other international organizations. Croatia has established diplomatic relations with 181 countries. President and the Government, through the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, co-operate in the formulation and implementation of foreign policy.

Croatian kuna Currency of Croatia

The kuna is the currency of Croatia, in use since 1994. It is subdivided into 100 lipa. The kuna is issued by the Croatian National Bank and the coins are minted by the Croatian Monetary Institute.

The EU accession referendum passed with 66.27% votes cast in support, 33.13% against the proposed joining of the EU and 0.60% invalid or blank votes; it also passed in all Croatian counties. The greatest support for the referendum was recorded in Međimurje and Brod-Posavina counties, at 75.73% and 72.61% respectively. The lowest support for EU accession was recorded in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, where 42.22% of votes were cast against the proposal. The average official turnout for the referendum was 43.51%; the highest official turnouts were recorded in the city of Zagreb and in Varaždin County at 55.13% and 53.66% respectively. The result was binding on the Croatian Parliament; as a consequence, it ratified the accession treaty on 9 March 2012. The outcome was welcomed by all political parties represented in Croatia's parliament; some right-wing politicians objected to the low turnout and what they consider a loss of independence.

Counties of Croatia regional administrative division of Croatia

The counties of Croatia are the primary administrative subdivisions of the Republic of Croatia. Since they were re-established in 1992, Croatia has been divided into 20 counties and the capital city of Zagreb, which has the authority and legal status of both a county and a city. As of 2015, the counties are subdivided into 128 cities and 428 municipalities.

Međimurje County County in Croatia

Međimurje County is a triangle-shaped county in the northernmost part of Croatia, roughly corresponding to the historical and geographical region of Međimurje. Despite being the smallest Croatian county by size, it is the most densely populated one. The county seat is Čakovec, which is also the largest city of the county.

Brod-Posavina County County in Croatia

Brod-Posavina County is the southern Slavonian county in Croatia. Its center is the city of Slavonski Brod and it spreads along the left bank of the Sava river, hence the name Posavina. Other notable towns include Nova Gradiška.

Background

Following the signature of its Stabilisation and Association Agreement in 2001, Croatia applied for European Union (EU) membership in 2003, the European Commission recommended making it an official candidate in early 2004, and the European Council granted candidate country status to Croatia in mid-2004. Accession negotiations, while originally set for March 2005, began in October of that year. Croatia completed the accession negotiations on 30 June 2011; on 9 December 2011 it signed the Treaty of Accession, changing its status from a candidate to an acceding country as it prepared to become the 28th EU member state. [2] [3] The ratification process by the Parliaments of all 27 current EU member states was expected to be concluded by the end of June 2013, and Croatia's accession to the EU was expected to take place on 1 July 2013. [4] [5] In addition to ratification by the current EU member states, Article 142 of the Constitution of Croatia requires that a binding referendum be held on sovereignty issues such as Croatian EU membership. [6]

European Union Economic and poitical union of states located in Europe

The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 28 member states that are located primarily in Europe. It has an area of 4,475,757 km2 (1,728,099 sq mi) and an estimated population of about 513 million. The EU has developed an internal single market through a standardised system of laws that apply in all member states in those matters, and only those matters, where members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital within the internal market, enact legislation in justice and home affairs and maintain common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. For travel within the Schengen Area, passport controls have been abolished. A monetary union was established in 1999 and came into full force in 2002 and is composed of 19 EU member states which use the euro currency.

European Commission executive institution of the European Union

The European Commission (EC) is an institution of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU. Commissioners swear an oath at the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg City, pledging to respect the treaties and to be completely independent in carrying out their duties during their mandate. Unlike in the Council of the European Union, where members are directly and indirectly elected, and the European Parliament, where members are directly elected, the Commissioners are proposed by the Council of the European Union, on the basis of suggestions made by the national governments, and then appointed by the European Council after the approval of the European Parliament.

European Council institution of the European Union

The European Council is a collective body that defines the European Union's overall political direction and priorities. It comprises the heads of state or government of the EU member states, along with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission. The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy also takes part in its meetings. Established as an informal summit in 1975, the European Council was formalised as an institution in 2009 upon the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon. Its current President is Donald Tusk, former Prime Minister of Poland.

Voting issues

The Croatian Parliament tasked the Croatian State Election Committee with referendum voting organization, ballot counting, and result publication. The committee scheduled the referendum vote for 22 January 2012 starting at 07:00 and lasting until 19:00, at regular polling stations in Croatia, in Croatian military units, in Croatian diplomatic missions abroad, on Croatian-flagged vessels and in prisons: 6,750 polling stations in all. [7] For the referendum, all polling stations were grouped in a single district. [8] Voters traveling abroad were permitted to vote in the Croatian diplomatic missions as with Croatian presidential elections; however, the initial instructions by the Ministry of Public Administration did not allow voters within Croatia who were away from their place of residence to vote in the referendum, nor did it allow absentee ballots. [9] GONG, the Croatian election supervision NGO, requested that the authorities correct this. [10] [11] One restriction was removed by 3 January, when voters were permitted to register to vote in Croatia away from their legal residence. Registration was possible until 7 January, in person, by fax, or by e-mail. [12] [13] When the registration process completed in early January 2012 ahead of the referendum, there were 4,504,686 voters in the voter registry (the same one used in parliamentary and presidential elections). [7]

Croatian Parliament parliament

The Croatian Parliament or the Sabor is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Croatia; it is Croatia's legislature. Under the terms of the Croatian Constitution, the Sabor represents the people and is vested with legislative power. The Sabor is composed of 151 members elected to a four-year term on the basis of direct, universal and equal suffrage by secret ballot. Seats are allocated according to the Croatian Parliament electoral districts: 140 members of the parliament are elected in multi-seat constituencies, 8 from the minorities and 3 from the Croatian diaspora. The Sabor is presided over by a Speaker, who is assisted by at least one deputy speaker.

The Ministry of Public Administration of the Republic of Croatia is the ministry in the Government of Croatia which is in charge of the system and organization of state administration and local and regional governments, political and electoral system, personal status of citizens and other activities within its jurisdiction.

An absentee ballot is a vote cast by someone who is unable or unwilling to attend the official polling station to which the voter is normally allocated. Numerous methods have been devised to facilitate this. Increasing the ease of access to absentee ballots is seen by many as one way to improve voter turnout, though some countries require that a valid reason, such as infirmity or travel, be given before a voter can participate in an absentee ballot.

The State Election Committee defined the polling stations's appearance and their immediate surroundings up to 50 metres (160 feet) away, prohibiting campaigning and displaying of promotional materials there as with elections in Croatia. [14] Unlike Croatian elections, there is no mandatory halt to campaigning before a referendum. [15] GONG appointed approximately 300 observers to monitor the referendum voting. [16] The Election Committee announced that it would start publishing voting results on its web site two hours after the polling stations in Croatia closed, and it would expect to determine the referendum's outcome by midnight. [17] If a proposed question was supported by a simple majority of those voting, the proposal would be considered passed and the result binding on the Croatian Parliament pursuant to §87, paragraphs 4 and 5 of the Croatian Constitution. [18] Since the referendum passed, the Croatian Parliament was required to ratify the Croatian EU accession treaty. [19] Amendments (from 2010) to the constitution provide that referendums are valid regardless of actual turnout. [20] If the referendum proposal were to have failed, it could have been repeated in six months or a year. It is estimated that a referendum rejection would have cost Croatia approximately €1.6 billion in lost EU funding until 2014. [21]

Election process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office

An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the executive and judiciary, and for regional and local government. This process is also used in many other private and business organizations, from clubs to voluntary associations and corporations.

Election silence, pre-election silence, electoral silence, or campaign silence is a ban on political campaigning prior to a presidential or general election. Under this rule, in some jurisdictions, such as Slovenia, it is forbidden to try to convince people to vote for a specific candidate or political party on the day of election. Some jurisdictions have declared that, legally, election silence is in violation of law regarding freedom of speech. It is however used in some of the world's democracies "in order to balance out the campaigning and maintain a free voting environment".

Election monitoring is the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or a non-governmental organization (NGO), primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and international election standards. There are national and international election observers. Monitors do not directly prevent electoral fraud, but rather record and report such instances. Election observation increasingly looks at the entire electoral process over a longer period of time, rather than at election-day proceedings only. The legitimacy of an election can be affected by the criticism of monitors, provided that they are themselves seen as unbiased. A notable individual is often appointed honorary leader of a monitoring organization in an effort to enhance its own legitimacy.

Date

The referendum ballot question, in Croatian, was simply Jeste li za clanstvo Republike Hrvatske u Europskoj uniji? meaning "Are you in favour of the membership of the Republic of Croatia in the European Union?" Croatian European Union membership referendum ballot.jpg
The referendum ballot question, in Croatian, was simply Jeste li za članstvo Republike Hrvatske u Europskoj uniji? meaning "Are you in favour of the membership of the Republic of Croatia in the European Union?"

In November 2010, the Croatian Parliament decided to hold the EU accession referendum 30 days after the treaty was signed; [23] since the treaty was signed on 9 December 2011, the referendum was consequently (originally) scheduled for 9 January 2012. [24] In November 2010, the Croatian Government proposed to hold the EU accession referendum simultaneously with another referendum aimed at altering general referendum rules. [25]

Days after the 2011 parliamentary elections in early December 2011, it was suggested by Vesna Pusić  – already recognized as the future Minister of Foreign and European Affairs  – that the referendum should be postponed until March 2012 to allow better preparation for the poll. [26] The suggestion was soon followed by a similar request made by GONG that the referendum be postponed until mid-February or later; its request was also supported by five major trade unions. [27] GONG's request was made because of what they stated to be: poor information provided to citizens; undefined procedures for voter registration away from a voter's permanent residence; unclear directions for voting abroad; no legal provisions specifically defining the composition of ballot counting commissions; no provisions for referendum vote monitoring by partisan, non-partisan and foreign monitors; no legal provisions regarding referendum funding (since the 2011 state budget did not appropriate any funds to cover referendum expenses); no legal provisions funding the pro-referendum campaign or allowing the campaign itself; and the lack of restrictions against campaigning on the day of the referendum. [28] The union support for this request was due to the government's ultimately not putting forward the other referendum (altering the conditions for referendums from citizens by changing the number of petitioners required and the time allowed to gather their signatures), which they had earlier agreed to do. [29] Another request to postpone the election was made by more than a thousand signatories of a petition to the government, demanding that the referendum be postponed until after the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) returned the final verdict in the case against generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač. They cited concerns over EU support for the ICTY, which they describe as biased; they therefore questioned if the EU favoured some nations over others. [30]

On 23 December 2011, the Croatian Parliament made a preliminary decision on EU membership and determined that the EU accession referendum would be held on 22 January 2012. [31] Furthermore, no other referendum question would be presented at that time. The preliminary accession decision was supported by 129 MPs, with the 6 Croatian Democratic Alliance of Slavonia and Baranja (HDSSB) MPs abstaining. During the debate that preceded the vote, the HDSSB MPs requested that the EU accession referendum be postponed for three to six months in order to allow a broader discussion on EU accession. Their specific concern was that Croatia might lose elements of its statehood and sovereignty, and the postponement was requested to present to the voters the effects of the Treaty of Lisbon on Croatia before the referendum was held. [32] The parliamentary decision to hold the referendum on 22 January 2012 was supported by 124 MPs, with 6 HDSSB MPs and 6 Croatian Labourists – Labour Party MPs voting against the decision. The Labour party advocated postponing the referendum until 12 February in order to give more time to provide information on the consequences of EU membership. [33] The referendum question was announced by the newly elected Prime Minister designate Zoran Milanović as "simple and bare": [34] "Are you for the membership of the Republic of Croatia in the European Union?" [22] The 2012 Croatian EU accession referendum was the first referendum held in Croatia since the Croatian independence referendum in 1991. [35]

Campaign

"Tu pripadamo" (We belong here): government referendum campaign logo Tu pripadamo logo.gif
"Tu pripadamo" (We belong here): government referendum campaign logo

The Croatian EU accession referendum campaign officially started on 3 January 2012, with a declaration that it was aimed at providing to Croatian citizens clear, concise and transparent information on the EU accession negotiations and EU membership. The campaign included television promotions and addresses by leading politicians such as: the President of Croatia, Ivo Josipović; the prime minister, Zoran Milanović; the foreign minister, Vesna Pusić; other government members, such as Milanka Opačić, Radimir Čačić, Neven Mimica and Željko Jovanović; and former prime minister and opposition leader Jadranka Kosor. (All of these supported the referendum in their addresses.) A telephone information hotline was also set up, and 2.15 million EU information booklets were prepared for mailing to every household in the country. Finally, summaries of the accession treaty, negotiation documents and governmental report on the EU accession negotiations were published online, as were the original documents. It was announced that the campaign cost 4.8 million kuna (c. € 640,000). [37]

The leading parliamentary political parties in Croatia have jointly supported EU accession since 2005, when a group called the Alliance for Europe (Croatian : Savez za Europu) was set up as an informal alliance aimed at achieving EU membership as a strategic goal of Croatian foreign policy. [38] [39] Opposition to the referendum was voiced by the Croatian Party of Rights dr. Ante Starčević, a political party holding a single seat in the Croatian Parliament, claiming too little information provided to the voters, rather than the party being eurosceptic. [40] Further opposition was voiced by several non-parliamentary parties. The most substantial opposition to the accession came from the Croatian Party of Rights (HSP), which demanded that the government fund its television campaign against EU membership. HSP also printed leaflets advocating rejecting EU accession. [41] The party also organized other activities at 150 locations in the country aimed at the referendum proposal's rejection. [42] During the 2011 parliamentary election campaign, HSP declared itself as the only party advocating rejection of Croatian EU accession; [43] it failed to win a single seat, receiving 3% of the votes. [44] Further opposition to the Croatian EU membership came from a group of non-parliamentary political parties organized as the Alliance for Croatia (Croatian : Savez za Hrvatsku) claiming that the move jeopardizes Croatian independence, [45] but the alliance's December 2011 protest in Zagreb drew only 150 people. [46]

The government's campaign was criticized as having poor promotional videos, especially lacking in informational value. [47] The final days of the campaign were marked by events in support of and opposition to joining the EU, as the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs set up an EU information event in Zagreb, [48] while a protest against EU accession at the main city square drew 200 (some arrests occurred). [49] [50] The Croatian Bishops' Conference called on citizens to vote in the referendum, reminding Croatians that Croatia is a part of European culture while refraining from directly advocating either position. [51] The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts also supported joining the EU with 93 academicians in favour, 2 against and 1 abstention; they said that the event represents a great opportunity for Croatia. [52] In contrast to EU accession opponents' request to postpone the referendum until Generals Gotovina and Markač were released by the ICTY, [53] Gotovina himself urged citizens of Croatia to vote in the referendum and said that he would vote in favour of joining the EU. [54]

Opinion polls

2008-2012 results of Croatian EU membership opinion polling Croatian EU membership opinion polls.png
2008–2012 results of Croatian EU membership opinion polling

Opinion polling regarding Croatian EU membership was regularly carried out by the CRO Demoskop, Ipsos Puls and Mediana Fides agencies. Since 2008, these polls overall indicated support for Croatian EU membership; in May 2011 and after, support ranged between 55% and 63%. The highest support since 2008 was 64% in the first half of November 2010. [55] The lowest level of EU membership support (between 23% and 38%) was reported on 15–16 April 2011 in the wake of the ICTY's guilty verdict for Generals Gotovina and Markač. [56] [57]

In early January 2012, an NGO advocating voting against the referendum called the "Council for Croatia – NO TO EU" (Croatian : Vijeće za Hrvatsku – NE U EU) reported that they had contracted a Canadian company (one unknown to the Croatian public) called the "Business Knowledge Corporation" to conduct their own poll on the issue; they stated that with 1,942 polled, 57.2% were against the referendum while 41% declined to answer the poll question. The NGO said that the apparent gross disparity between these results and the results of all other recent polls was due to government manipulation. [58]

Poll source Date(s) administered/published Sample size For/Favour Against/Oppose Undecided/No answer
Ipsos Puls for the MVEP [59] 20 January 2012 84061% 28% 11%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [60] 19 January 2012 96060% 31% 9%
Ipsos Puls [61] 18 January 2012 1,00056% 33% 11%
CRO Demoskop [62] 3 and 4 January 2012 1,30055.1% 33.3% 11.6%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [63] 27 December 2011 1,00060% 33% 7%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [64] 25 November 2011 1,00061% 32% 7%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [65] 25 October 2011 1,00057% 36% 7%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [66] 26 September 2011 1,00058% 31% 11%
CRO Demoskop [67] 12 September 2011 1,30056.1% 33.8% 10.1%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [68] 25 July 2011 1,00060% 33% 7%
CRO Demoskop [69] 1 and 2 July 2011 1,30062.2% 30.5% 7.3%
Hendal for HRT [70] 28 June 2011?56% 34.2% 9.8%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [71] 25 May 2011 1,00056% 39% 5%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [56] 16 April 2011* 600 38%52% 10%
Mediana Fides for Jutarnji list [57] 15 and 16 April 2011* 700 23%49.8% 26.4%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [72] 24 March 2011 1,00055% 38% 7%
Mediana Fides for Jutarnji list [73] 21 March 2011?56.3% 37.3% 6.4%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [74] 12 March 2011 60051% 37% 12%
CRO Demoskop [75] 4 March 2011 1,30048.9% 41% 10.1%
CRO Demoskop [76] 7 February 2011 1,30049.4% 40.3% 10.2%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [77] 25 December 2010 1,00047% 40% 12%
CRO Demoskop [78] 30 November and 1 December 2010 1,30049.2% 39.1% 11.7%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [79] 25 November 2010 1,00053% 35% 12%
Ipsos Puls [55] 1–15 November 2010 1,00064% 29% 7%
CRO Demoskop [80] 2 and 3 November 2010 1,30049.6% 39.8% 10.6%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [81] 29 October 2010 1,00050% 35% 15%
CRO Demoskop [82] 4 and 5 October 2010 1,30050.5% 39.4% 10.1%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [83] 28 July 2010 1,00055% 42% 7%
CRO Demoskop [84] 3 and 4 May 2010 1,30051.1% 39% 9.9%
CRO Demoskop [84] 31 March and 1 April 2010 1,30050.8% 39.9% 9.3%
CRO Demoskop [85] 3 February 2010 1,30048.4% 40.1% 11.5%
CRO Demoskop [86] 4 and 5 January 2010 1,30048.9% 39.9% 11.2%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [87] 31 December 2009? 43% 43% 13%
CRO Demoskop [88] 30 November and 1 December 2009 1,30049.1% 39.1% 11.8%
CRO Demoskop [89] 31 September and 1 October 2009 1,30050.9% 39.5% 9.6%
CRO Demoskop [90] 3 September 2009 1,30047% 42.6% 10.4%
CRO Demoskop [91] 1 and 2 July 2009 1,30047.8% 41.9% 10.3%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [92] 31 March 2009 1,00050% 39% 11%
Ipsos Puls for Nova TV [93] 28 February 2009 1,00051% 36% 13%
CRO Demoskop [94] 5 February 2009 1,30051.8% 39.2% 9%
CRO Demoskop [95] 3 and 4 October 2008 1,30057.3% 33.2% 9.5%
CRO Demoskop [96] 31 July and 1 August 2008 1,30055.5% 36.7% 7.8%
CRO Demoskop [97] 4 July 2008 1,30054.7% N/A N/A
CRO Demoskop [98] 2 May 2008 1,30053.9% N/A N/A
CRO Demoskop [99] 4 February 2008 1,30049% N/A N/A
CRO Demoskop [100] 7 January 2008 1,30049.6% N/A N/A
*Note: On 15 April 2011, the ICTY sentenced Ante Gotovina to 24 years in prison; [101] Mladen Markač was sentenced to 18 years in prison. (A third defendant, Ivan Čermak, was cleared.) [102]

Results

The EU accession referendum passed with 66.27% of votes cast in support and 33.13% against EU membership for Croatia. There were 0.6% blank or invalid votes. Even though all Croatian citizens were voting in a single constituency for the referendum's purposes, the State Election Committee published the results by individual counties, cities, and municipalities. The referendum passed in all Croatian counties. The greatest support for the referendum was recorded in Međimurje and Brod-Posavina counties at 75.73% and 72.61% respectively. The lowest support for the EU accession was recorded in Dubrovnik-Neretva County, where 42.22% votes were cast against the proposal. The Croatian diaspora voted 83.13% in support. [1] Only 18 out of 556 cities or municipalities in Croatia voted against the referendum proposal. Of those, six are in Split-Dalmatia County, four in Koprivnica-Križevci County, two in Zagreb and Dubrovnik-Neretva counties each, and a single municipality in Istria, Primorje-Gorski Kotar, Šibenik-Knin and Zadar counties each. [103]

The average turnout at the referendum was 43.51%. The figure includes the voters living abroad, whose turnout was only 3.51%; they comprise more than 9% of the total Croatian electorate. The highest turnouts were recorded in the city of Zagreb and in Varaždin County, at 55.13% and 53.66% respectively, while the lowest turnout in Croatia was recorded in Lika-Senj County at just 34.52%. [1] There is no turnout threshold for a referendum to be legally valid. [20]

The low turnout was attributed in part to poor voter registry maintenance. The registry allegedly contains up to 900,000 nonexistent voters due to poor database maintenance, especially in updating the registry using death certificates and change of residence records. This allegation was supported by the 2011 census. [104] [105] The poor voter records were subsequently cited as the cause of the low formal turnout, which would otherwise have exceeded 50%. [106] It was later estimated that the actual turnout in Croatia itself, without the diaspora, was 61%. [107]

County Electorate Turnout % For % Against % Invalid %
Bjelovar-Bilogora 113,642 51,820 45.60%32,24262.22% 19,299 37.24% 279 0.54%
Brod-Posavina 155,416 65,735 42.30%47,72972.61% 17,580 26.74% 426 0.65%
Dubrovnik-Neretva 115,996 53,708 46.30%30,57456.93% 22,674 42.22% 460 0.85%
Istria 199,746 98,235 49.18%67,18968.40% 30,363 30.91% 683 0.69%
Karlovac 133,333 61,074 45.81%40,73166.69% 19,904 32.59% 439 0.72%
Koprivnica-Križevci 101,050 49,904 49.39%30,17860.47% 19,474 39.02% 252 0.51%
Krapina-Zagorje 114,920 54,742 47.63%34,74863.48% 19,616 35.83% 378 0.69%
Lika-Senj 57,032 19,689 34.52%13,91270.66% 5,618 28.53% 159 0.81%
Međimurje 100,640 52,133 51.80%39,47975.73% 12,364 23.72% 290 0.55%
Osijek-Baranja 291,205 131,720 45.23%88,98067.55% 42,003 31.89% 737 0.56%
Požega-Slavonia 78,335 34,529 44.08%24,21870.14% 10,092 29.23% 219 0.63%
Primorje-Gorski Kotar 287,202 144,104 50.18%99,15668.81% 44,198 30.67% 750 0.52%
Sisak-Moslavina 177,950 73,952 41.56%50,03467.66% 23,443 31.70% 475 0.64%
Split-Dalmatia 430,299 197,783 45.96%115,79558.55% 80,515 40.71% 1,473 0.74%
Šibenik-Knin 122,901 45,546 37.06%29,03363.74% 16,150 35.46% 363 0.80%
Varaždin 153,037 82,117 53.66%57,39969.90% 24,259 29.54% 459 0.56%
Virovitica-Podravina 83,699 37,055 44.27%24,25365.45% 12,589 33.97% 213 0.58%
Vukovar-Syrmia 179,929 69,501 38.63%47,97069.02% 21,000 30.22% 531 0.76%
Zadar 182,680 70,458 38.57%43,33061.50% 26,574 37.72% 554 0.78%
Zagreb County 284,793 150,403 52.81%97,75665.00% 51,934 34.53% 713 0.47%
City of Zagreb 728,332 401,529 55.13%272,24667.80% 127,455 31.74% 1,828 0.46%
Voting abroad 412,628 14,494 3.51%12,05683.18% 2,386 16.46% 52 0.36%
TOTAL 4,504,765 1,960,231 43.51%1,299,00866.27% 649,490 33.13% 11,733 0.60%
Source: State Election Committee [1]

Reactions

Domestic

After the result's announcement, President Josipović commented that the day was of great significance to Croatia, defining the nation as one with a European future. Prime Minister Milanović welcomed the decision as historic and as the first such decision made by Croatians alone; he also said that the referendum represented a turning point for Croatia. Croatian Parliament Speaker Boris Šprem said that a new chapter of Croatian history and better fortune for the nation was dawning. [108] The Croatian Minister of the Economy, Radimir Čačić, concluded that Croatia's credit rating would have been downgraded if the referendum had not passed. He also stated that, since the referendum passed, it was a good opportunity to upgrade the rating. Minister of Finance Slavko Linić stated that he was pleased with the result, but not with the voter turnout. He disagreed with Čačić that the credit rating could be saved by this result, since everybody had already counted on Croatian entry to the EU. Foreign and European Affairs Minister Vesna Pusić commented that the result was good news for Europe, which faced internal problems. Former Speaker Vladimir Šeks said that the low turnout was caused by external factors – the debt crisis in Europe and a loss of confidence in Croatian political parties and institutions. [109] Luka Bebić, also a former speaker of the Parliament, added that it was good that Croats had voted to join the EU. Former Croatian foreign minister Gordan Jandroković commented that the result is especially important for the nation's youth, and former Croatian President Stjepan Mesić stated that Croatia should be competitive and use EU funds, adding that it is not enough to be happy with entering the EU. He also commented on claims that joining the EU was tantamount to entering a new Yugoslavia, saying that "only idiots think that Yugoslavia should be renewed". [109]

On the other side, the HSP president Daniel Srb argued that the referendum was illegitimate since 71% of Croatian voters had not taken part in the referendum or had voted against the entry of Croatia into the EU, and warned that only 28% of Croatian voters had supported joining the EU. Srb also added that Croatian citizens had shown distrust of the Croatian Government. [110] Željko Sačić, a right-wing politician, stated that the government destroyed the concept of Croatian citizens and created an impression that Croatia was unable to govern itself. Sačić stated that the government had brought Croatia into a decaying organization in an illegitimate way, adding that the referendum result was a defeat of Croatian independence and they would challenge its validity in court. [111] By the 3 March 2012 deadline, the Constitutional Court of Croatia received 22 appeals challenging the referendum's legality; it ruled against them all. [112]

International

Supranational bodies
States
  • Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina: Members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina welcomed the results of the referendum, expressing an expectation that Croatia would be a representative of former Yugoslavia once it became a member of the EU. [114]
  • Flag of Germany.svg  Germany: German Chancellor Angela Merkel saluted the referendum's outcome and stated that Germany anticipated the Croatian EU entry with joy. [115]
  • Flag of Ireland.svg  Ireland: Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Eamon Gilmore congratulated the Croatian people on their passing of the referendum on EU accession. [116]
  • Flag of Montenegro.svg  Montenegro: Montenegrin President Filip Vujanović congratulated the Croatian president Ivo Josipović and the Croatian Government on its "historic" decision to enter the EU. [115]
  • Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia: Serbian President Boris Tadić congratulated the Croatian people for their decision to enter the EU. He concluded that this act was significant for Croatia's future and was moreover a positive signal for the whole region. He stated that the Croatian EU entry would make it easier for Serbia and other countries of the region to enter the EU. [117]
  • Flag of Kosovo.svg  Kosovo [a] : Minister of Foreign Affairs Enver Hoxhaj congratulated the Croatian people for a successful referendum through a note sent to the Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Croatia, Vesna Pusić. Minister Hoxhaj said in the note that Croatia remains a model to the other Balkan states aspiring to EU membership. "The referendum of Croatia's people which represents their aspiration to become member of the European Union is a momentum and an important drive for the other Balkan countries, aiming towards the great European family". [118]
  • Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia: Slovene Prime Minister Borut Pahor saluted Croatia on a strategic decision of importance to Europe and the whole region. He added that EU entry is not a solution to all problems, but it makes it easier to solve them. [119]
  • Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom: David Lidington of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office stated that he saluted the decision of Croatian citizens to join the EU. He also added that he hoped he would see Croatia as an EU member in July 2013. [120]

Aftermath

Pursuant to the referendum's outcome, the Croatian parliament ratified the accession treaty unanimously (with 136 votes in favour) on 9 March 2012. [121]

See also

Notes

a. ^ Kosovo is the subject of a territorial dispute between the Republic of Kosovo and the Republic of Serbia . The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence on 17 February 2008, but Serbia continues to claim it as part of its own sovereign territory . The two governments began to normalise relations in 2013, as part of the Brussels Agreement . Kosovo has received formal recognition as an independent state from 113 out of 193 United Nations member states .These states include Croatia. [122] [123]

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References

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  9. ↑ Linda Perić (1 December 2011). "Sanader može birati u zatvoru, ali bolesnici s Firula – ne mogu" [Sanader can vote in prison, but patients in Firule [hospital] cannot]. Slobodna Dalmacija (in Croatian). Retrieved 6 March 2012.
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  64. ↑ "Izbori 2011. – Crobarometar: Kampanja nikome nije donijela ništa" [Elections 2011 – Crobarometer: Nobody profits from the campaign]. Nova TV (in Croatian). 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
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  66. ↑ "Može li HDZ sustići 17 posto prednosti Kukuriku koalicije?" [Can HDZ close 17 percent gap to Kukuriku coalition?]. Nova TV (in Croatian). 26 September 2011. Archived from the original on 30 December 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  67. ↑ "Porasla potpora hrvatskih građana ulasku u EU" [Croatian citizens' support to the EU accession increases] (in Croatian). t-portal. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  68. ↑ "Istraživanje: HDZ za vratom SDP-u, Kosor popravila imidž" [Survey: HDZ closing gap to SDP, Kosor improves her image]. Nova TV (in Croatian). 25 July 2011. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  69. ↑ "Samo 10-ak posto građana ne bi izišlo na referendum o EU!" [Only about 10 percent of citizens would not vote in the EU referendum!] (in Croatian). t-portal. 6 July 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  70. ↑ "Croatia: Growing optimism toward EU". B92 . 28 June 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  71. ↑ "Vraća se povjerenje građana u EU" [Citizens' trust in the EU restored]. Nova TV (in Croatian). 25 May 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
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  102. ↑ "Croat generals jailed for war crimes in Krajina". BBC News Online . 15 April 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  103. ↑ Tomislav Krasnec (23 January 2012). "Analiza kako je glasovala Hrvatska – protiv EU bilo 18 općina" [Analysis of Croatia's vote – 18 municipalities voted against the EU]. Večernji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 23 January 2012.
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  108. ↑ "Josipović: Veliko europsko "DA" je rečeno; Milanović: Povijesnu odluku donijeli smo sami" [Josipović: Great European "YES" is said; Milanović: We made the historic decision ourselves]. Novi list (in Croatian). 22 January 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  109. 1 2 Petar Vidov; Jelena Šimac (22 January 2012). "Reakcije iz Sabora: Prolaz na referendumu ne znači da smo spasili kreditni rejting" [Reactions in Sabor: Referendum success does not mean we saved the credit rating]. index.hr (in Croatian). Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  110. ↑ Sajler Garmaz, Maja (23 January 2012). "Srb: Građani na referendumu iskazali nepovjerenje prema vlasti" [Srb: Citizens displayed distrust towards the government at the referendum]. Vjesnik (in Croatian). Archived from the original on 14 June 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
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  113. ↑ Alen Legović (23 January 2012). "EU pozdravlja rezultate referenduma u Hrvatskoj" [EU welcomes Croatian referendum results] (in Croatian). Deutsche Welle . Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  114. ↑ "Trilateral meeting in Bosnian resort ends". B92 . 3 February 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
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  116. ↑ "Tánaiste congratulates Croatian people on referendum on EU accession". MerrionStree.ie. 22 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  117. ↑ "Tadić: Čestitam Hrvatskoj, ovo je pozitivan signal za cijelu regiju" [Tadić: I congratulate Croatia, this is a positive signal to the entire region]. Večernji list (in Croatian). 22 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  118. ↑ "Hoxhaj praises Croats for successful referendum on EU membership". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
  119. ↑ "Pahor: Kao dio Europe sudjelovat ćete u donošenju važnih odluka" [Pahor: You will take part in important decision-making as a part of Europe]. Večernji list (in Croatian). 22 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  120. ↑ "Britanski ministar pozdravlja hrvatsku odluku na referendumu" [British minister welcomes Croatian referendum decision] (in Croatian). Dnevno.hr. 23 January 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2012.
  121. ↑ "Pristupni ugovor potvrđen jednoglasno" [Accession treaty confirmed unanimously] (in Croatian). Croatian Radiotelevision. 9 March 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2012.
  122. ↑ "U Zagrebu otvoreno veleposlanstvo Republike Kosovo" [Kosovo embassy opens in Zagreb]. Večernji list (in Croatian). 19 February 2010. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
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