Dutch Referendum Rejects European Association Agreement With Ukraine

April 7, 2016

Flags of the Dutch EU presidency and campaign posters for Wednesday's non-binding referendum on the EU-Ukraine association agreement are seen in The Hague, April 6, 2016.

Over 61 percent of participants voted against the 320-page European association agreement with Ukraine in the referendum held in the Netherlands on Wednesday.

Voter turnout was recorded at 32.2 percent — above the 30 percent threshold set by the Dutch government to make the referendum valid — of the country's 13.3 million eligible voters, according to data published online by the international Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA).

On April 6, Dutch voters had to answer with a Yes or No the question of whether they favor the bloc's association deal with Kiev.

Support for the referendum was shown by 38.4 percent of the voters, with 61.6 percent of voters opposed to the European association agreement with Ukraine, IDEA reported.

The government is not bound to adhere to the results of the referendum.

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