LATVIA: Latvia is expected to vote today in favour of EU entry to crown its return to mainstream Europe after a decade of post-Soviet reforms, but a grassroots snub could reduce the Yes vote in the referendum.
"I will drink champagne if there's a Yes, and vodka if there's a No," said Mr Oskars Kastens, deputy leader of the parliamentary European Union committee. But he said he did expect the pro-EU camp to win the vote.
A Yes would mark a success for enlargement from 15 to 25 members - a relief for Brussels after Sweden rejected the euro last weekend - while a No would leave the former Soviet republic a Baltic outsider.
Polls show around half the voters plan to support EU entry, with the No camp trailing at about 25 per cent. Turnout is seen at around 80 per cent in the binding referendum, far above a 50 per cent requirement.
But about a quarter are still undecided, preventing the Yes camp from banking on a smooth ride after what analysts say is a limp campaign focusing on the wallet rather than values.
About 1.3 million are eligible to vote, and preliminary results are expected shortly after midnight tonight.
Latvia is the last of eight east European countries to vote on EU entry after they received invitations late last year to join in May 2004, together with Malta and Cyprus.
Malta, Slovenia, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic and Estonia have already voted in favour of EU membership, while Cyprus is not holding a referendum.