The Prime Minister of Slovakia, Mikulas Dzurinda, today claimed his country strongly approved joining the European Union in a referendum held today.
"The referendum is valid, and a overwhelming majority of our citizens said 'Yes' for Slovakia to enter the EU. Good luck to you all in the EU!," Dzurinda said in a speech.
He did not give exact numbers for either the percentage of votes cast in favour of EU entry, nor on turnout, which had been thought to be below the 50 percent threshold needed to make the plebiscite valid.
Preliminary results calculated by local news agencies showed that with 72 of 78 districts reporting, turnout was 51.7 percent with accession approval more than 90 percent. Official results are not expected until tomorrow.