Telegraph | Expat | Spain snubs Expatriate EU residents in European referendum vote

Spain snubs Expatriate EU residents in European referendum vote

In a strange move by the Socialist Spanish government, European residents in Spain have been banned from voting in the European Referendum election. Such a decision, a first, comes in complete disregard of EU rules regarding it's citizen's rights within Union member states.

No information was given prior to referendum day on February 20th. European residents in Spain simply never received the election papers which are sent to registered voters in the days preceding an election. According to the association of EU expatriates in Spain, it appears to have been a governmental maneuver to avoid referendum defeat by an expatriate community, largely Brits, against a referendum which will inevitably limit sovereignty of participating states.

In any event it is ironic that the most European of EU citizens, are denied participation in a referendum for the European Constitution.

EU constitution passes Spanish referendum

EU constitution passes Spanish referendum with all-time record low participation

Spain voted Sunday in favor of the European Constitution by 76% in favor and 24% of voters against amidst general public indifference and abstention.
The voter turnout, just 42% of eligible electors participating, became the lowest voter turnout in the history of Spain Democracy. Such a poor voter turnout came in spite of a highly emotional Orwellian style campaign led by Prime Minister Rodriguez Zapatero.

Such a disappointing result takes quite a bit of air out of the Euro victory balloon. It shows just how far the politicians pro Europe rhetoric is from the street. Every European people has been told for months that the Spanish are heavily pro Europe. Sunday's election results came as a slap in the face return to reality.

It could be reasonably argued that, to all intents and purposes, the Spanish are not in favor of this European Constitution with just shy of 32% of registered voters casting a yes ballot.

Indeed, Sunday's European Constitution referendum election results donnot reflect the will of the Spanish majority at all with participation as low as 20% in some regions.