Hungarian PM urges high turnout for EU vote

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy yesterday called for high turnout and a yes vote at next month's national referendum on European Union (EU) accession.

Hungary is one of 10 states mainly from former communist central Europe, which has been invited to join the EU in 2004.

It will be the first of the bigger nations to hold a vote on membership, on April 12. The results are seen as an important indication to voters in other states like Poland and the Czech Republic.

Medgyessy said EU integration policy would need a high referendum turnout, not only a strong 'yes' vote.

"(With a low turnout) we would not receive the background needed for the Hungarian society to enter the European Union with pride, satisfaction and joy," he said in an interview to the national news agency MTI.

At the celebration rallies of Hungary's national day on Saturday, all major parties supported accession, but opposition politicians criticised the cabinet for not unveiling risks and not defending national interests effectively.

Medgyessy said the government was hard in accession talks completed last year, and membership remained a national interest though the EU was not generous in financial terms to candidates.

"The EU, not necessarily from its own fault, was not too generous," he said. "(But) the EU is a chance for fulfilling a historic dream, sharing European values and effectively defending national interests".

Medgyessy said French President Jacques Chirac, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and European Commission President Romano Prodi had given valuable help to defend Hungarian national interests at the accession talks.

The latest opinion poll in Hungary showed 71 per cent would back accession in the referendum and 14 per cent would not. However, the opponents of accession launched their campaign only at Saturday's national day celebrations.

The far right Hungarian Justice and LifeParty (MIEP) accused the ruling centre-left coalition of luring voters into an EU plagued by divisions, sacrificing independence for its own political and economic ends.