Dutch Voters Reject Ukraine Deal in Blow to EU Unity

Source: Wall Street Journal

AMSTERDAM—Dutch voters overwhelmingly rejected a landmark European Union trade deal with Ukraine, an exit poll showed, but turnout was too-close-to-call to determine whether the referendum will be valid.

Around 64% of Dutch voters rejected the pact in Wednesday’s referendum, according to an early exit poll released by public broadcaster NOS and polling firm Ipsos.

But the exit poll showed voter turnout was 32%, just above the minimum threshold of 30% for the referendum to be acceptable to parliament and taken into account by the Dutch government. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3%. Provisional results will be released later Wednesday evening.

A rejection would deliver a fresh blow to the EU just as the bloc is confronted with a postwar record inflow of migrants, increased terror threats and a fragile economy. Anti-EU sentiment is rising across the region, including in founding bloc members like the Netherlands that has long been a strong supporter of European integration.

Read more: http://www.wsj.com/articles/voting-starts-in-dutch-referendum-on-eu-ukraine-deal-1459939630