Latvians vote to join EU

RIGA, Latvia - Latvians voted overwhelmingly to join the European Union, according to partial election results Saturday.

With more than half the country's 1,006 polling districts reporting, 68.5 percent voted in favor of joining the EU, while 30.8 percent voted against, the Central Election Commission reported.

By the time voting ended at 10 p.m., more than 70 percent of the country's 1.4-million eligible voters had cast ballots, the commission said. That easily cleared the necessary 50 percent turnout requirement.

The referendum was the last held by 10 candidate countries seeking EU membership. Proponents called it a decision to cement the former Soviet republic's ties to the West.

Along with Estonia, Latvia was pegged as one of the most skeptical candidates for EU membership. Estonia approved its EU referendum last week by a 2-to-1 ratio.

The 10 candidate states are expected to formally join in May, expanding the European Union to 25 countries.

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