The Dutch referendum on the European Union (EU) constitution kicked off at 7:30 a.m. local time (0530 GMT) on Wednesday, after the latest survey showed that around 60 percent of Dutch voters would say "no" to the EU's first constitutional charter.

This is the third referendum the EU member states have ever launched on ratifying the EU constitution. Spaniards voted overwhelmingly for the charter in a referendum in February while a French popular vote on Sunday ago rejected it.

The polling stations across the Netherlands are to close at 21: 00 p.m. local time (1900 GMT) and the preliminary results of the referendum are expected to be known soon after voting ends.

Mark Boer, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, told Xinhua by phone that an official result will not be issued by the ministry till June 6, but the preliminary results of the referendum, to be released by Dutch media organizations ANP and NOS, would be decisive.

Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who has been strongly campaigning for "yes," will cast his ballot in Capelle Aan Den Ijssel, a small town near Rotterdam, on Wednesday morning.

Right after the French "no," Balkenende said the French rejection is a further reason for the Dutch to vote for the charter.

The Dutch referendum is different from the French one in that that it is a non-binding one and the congress will still vote on it and has the final say on the ratification.

However, Boer said all political parties within the Dutch congress have agreed to "respect the public advice" if 30 percent of the voters vote in favor.

A poll published by the Dutch newspaper Telegraaf on Tuesday showed that 61.5 percent of Dutch voters are against the EU charter, 28.8 percent for and 9.7 percent still undecided.

Since the French "no" has triggered a crisis within the EU over the fate of the EU constitution, a possible Dutch "no" would give another heavy blow to the charter's ratification process.

The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, refused to comment on the fate of the charter, saying only that it was waiting for the result of the Dutch referendum.

European Commission President Jose Manual Barroso is to make a statement and meet the press at the EU headquarters right after the result is known.

On Thursday, Barroso is to meet with leaders of political parties from the European Parliament, discussing the thorny issue of the charter.

An EU summit, due on June 16-17, is expected to focus on resolving this challenging issue.

Source: Xinhua