Dutch voters rejected the European constitution today by an overwhelming 63 per cent to 37 per cent, according to an exit poll broadcast by Dutch NOS television. The turnout was 62 per cent, exceeding all expectations, the state-financed broadcaster said.
Although the referendum was consultative, the large turnout and the decisive margin left no room for the Dutch parliament to turn its back on the people's verdict.
The parliament, which must formally vote to ratify or reject the treaty, meets tomorrow to discuss the results. Nine countries have backed the constitution but it needs unanimous approval to take effect. France on Sunday became the first country to vote 'no,' leaving a major question mark over the future of EU integration.
Analysts predicted before the vote that the treaty would be rejected which would probably be the death knell of the EU constitution.
With 66.8 percent of votes counted, Dutch news agency ANP said 62.2 per cent had voted "No" to 37.8 per cent in favour with turnout at 63.9 per cent, well above the 39 per cent that voted in last year's European Parliament election.
The resounding "No", even stronger than the 55 per cent against the treaty in France on Sunday, is the latest sign of Dutch anger with the political elite since the 2002 murder of anti-immigration populist Pim Fortuyn.
Unease was further stoked by the killing last year of a filmmaker critical of Islam. Leading
"No" campaigner Geert Wilders, seen as an heir to Fortuyn, called on Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende to resign and call new elections.
New elections are not due until 2007 and Mr Balkenende has insisted he would not quit if voters rejected the charter. "If you realise that two-thirds of parliament supported the constitution and two out of three people in the land are against, it means a lot is wrong in the country," he said.
"The voters have spoken and they must be taken seriously."
The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said regreted the decision but that Ireland respected democratic right of the Dutch people.
He said: "The situation is now very complex. It is important that everyone refelct very carefully."
He said work would continue on Ireland's plans to hold a referendum. "The Government remains firmly of the view that the European Constitution is strongly in Ireland'sd interest and in that of the European Union as a whole."
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso admitted the Dutch rejection heralded difficult times ahead for the EU while Luxembourg's Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, who holds the EU presidency, also said ratification had to continue.
The rejection of the charter by the Dutch could deliver a fatal blow to the treaty designed to make the EU run better following its enlargement from 15 to 25 states.
It also casts doubt on the EU's hopes for a more muscular foreign policy and its plans to expand further to the western Balkans, Turkey and Ukraine, and raises questions about its appetite for economic reform amid mounting global competition.
The euro fell to its lowest level for eight months after the exit poll finding.
Agencies