Lithuania gave a huge "yes" to European Union entry in a weekend referendum as over 90 per cent of voters in favour of joining the wealthy bloc next year, early results showed.
The "yes" vote would complete the ex-Soviet republic's return to mainstream Europe after more than a decade of reforms and should give a boost to several other candidate countries yet to hold their ballots on EU entry.
The election committee said that with more than half of the votes counted in the two-day poll, 91 per cent had voted in favour, much higher than the two-thirds suggested by the latest estimate.
Analysts said those against joining the EU chose to stay at home and try to invalidate the vote by keeping turnout under the required 50 per cent.
The small Baltic country is one of 10 mostly ex-communist states hoping to join the EU, and the fourth hopeful to vote in favor of joining the wealthy club after Malta, Slovenia and Hungary all voted to join earlier this year.
President Rolandas Paksas said the day Lithuania joins the EU, due on May 1st, 2004, would be celebrated in the same way the Lithuanians mark the day they gained independence from Moscow in 1991. "I am very proud of Lithuania having passed this test of democracy," he said.