Croats vote in referendum on EU membership

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Croats vote in referendum on EU membership

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Voting has got off to a sluggish start in Croatia's referendum on European Union membership.

22 January,2012 10:05 pm

Only 11.4 per cent of the 4.5 million registered voters had cast their ballots by 11am (2100 AEDT) on Sunday, four hours into the vote.More than half of the ballots cast must support the accession for the referendum to be successful. Pollsters predicted that close to 60 per cent of the votes will be in favour, despite some vocal opposition.Casting his ballot in Zagreb, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic voiced confidence the vote will be positive and said EU membership offers development and prosperity.A positive outcome will pave the way for the former Yugoslav republic to join the EU in July 2013, eight years after it opened accession talks.