Slovakia Hopes for High EU Referendum Turnout

Lubomir Visnovsky is usually playing at ice hockey, not politics. But in the past weeks, the Slovakian sports star has been off the pitch and on television telling his fellow Slovakians to get out and vote. Because "our entry into the EU is an important issue," he says.

Visnovsky is just one of the Slovakian celebrities enlisted by the former Soviet bloc country's administration for their "don't leave it to the others" advertising campaign. The government has been pulling out all the stops to ensure as many as possible of Slovakia's 4 million voters vote yes when the polls open tomorrow for a two-day referendum on whether the country joins the European Union.

Getting Slovakia out to vote

Slovakia is the fifth applicant country in the current round of EU expansion to hold the vote. Lithuania, Hungary, Malta and Slovenia all voted in favor of joining the EU. Latvia is due to vote in September.

But although opposition to EU entry is similarly low, at around 10 percent, the government fears low turnout at the polls could scupper a yes vote.

Over 50 percent must vote in favor for the referendum to be successful, although constitutional experts disagree as to whether Slovakia's parliament, which must ratify EU entry, is in fact bound by the result of the vote.

Readying reforms

Slovakia has been working hard to put itself on a westwards track since it split from the Czech Republic in 1993. After being accepted into NATO last November, Slovakia got the formal nod from Brussels on EU entry in 2004 the following month.

Prime Minister Mikulas Dzurinda and his center-right coalition government have been continuing their western-oriented progressive policies since their reelection last September. Together with reforms to the health and pension systems, Slovakia is also cutting back state bureaucracy and slashing public spending in the hope of readying itself for entry to the Eurozone in 2006.

Teething problems

Nevertheless, many do not relish the short-term consequences of joining the EU. Under accession terms, Slovakians will not be allowed to seek work in other EU member states for seven years once the country joins.

Despite economic growth in Slovakia being one of the most robust in central Europe, unemployment is still high at around 17 percent, according to 2002 figures. Many leave to seek work in neighboring countries, Austria and Germany.

"I expect that prices will rise," a Slovakian pensioner told DW-RADIO. "Salaries are not so high here . . .if we have EU prices, it'll be difficult for us."

Yet Alexander Kurtansky, a journalist from the Slovakian capital, Bratislava believes the vote will go the government's way.

"I wouldn't necessarily talk about absolute enthusiasm, but I think the Slovakians know that joining the EU is a positive move," he told DW-RADIO. "The alternative – what we had before -- is somewhat worse. Isolation. And no-one wants that."

All a question of fine weather?

With the government planning to send out 2.5 million SMS text messages to get its citizens to the polls and with no political party campaigning for a no vote, the deciding factor in this referendum could be whether the weather stays fine on voting day.