Slovenians today backedmembership of NATO and the European Union in a referendumovershadowed by the US-led war in Iraq which has divided bothblocs, exit polls showed.
An exit poll broadcast by one television station just aftervoting finished at 6 p.m. (Irish time) showed voters endorsing NATOmembership by 56.1 per cent and EU membership by 90.3 per cent.
Another exit poll by a separate TV station showed voters backingNATO accession by 60.3 per cent and EU membership by 92.7per cent.
The prosperous country of two million people, which brokeaway from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, was holding the firstand possibly only referendum on accession to NATO among theseven former communist states invited last year to join by themilitary alliance.
While EU accession was widely tipped for approval, the voteon NATO remained uncertain until the end as support dipped afterstart of the US-led war against Iraq.
Both referendums are binding for the Slovenian government.The country is expected to join the EU and NATO in May 2004.