Prime minister of The Netherlands cast a “Yes” vote on Ukraine
Whether at least 30 percent of his compatriots will join him, we will probably learn as soon as today
Yesterday, The Netherlands held a consultative referendum to determine whether citizens of the country supported the EU-Ukraine Association.
Just as this issue of The Day was being prepared for printing, Ukrainian media began to spread the “good news from Amsterdam,” claiming that most Dutch voters supported Ukraine. “Out of those polled, 59 percent voted in favor of the treaty, and 41 percent against it,” some media said, citing a tweet by Dutch diplomat Marc Gerritsen.
To clarify how much should we trust this news and what is the Dutch people’s general attitude towards Ukraine, The Day contacted a Ukrainian group which campaigned for the “Yes” vote in The Netherlands.
Oleksandra MATVIICHUK, chairperson of the Center for Civil Liberties:
“We have been here since April 2. In this time, we have toured more than 10 cities. We distributed leaflets, participated in public debates, spoke with citizens of The Netherlands, answered their questions...
“People’s response varied greatly. The Dutch perception of Ukraine changed considerably after the disclosure of ‘Petro Poroshenko’s Panamanian offshore companies.’ People told us they would not support Ukraine due to corruption scandals involving its president.
“There were people who said clearly: ‘Yes, I support Ukraine and your desire for freedom,’ but it is too early to make any projections of overall results.
“There is no exit poll data that would indicate that most Dutch who came to the polls so far voted for the Association Agreement with Ukraine. The news which is making rounds in the Ukrainian media is not true. Official results of the exit poll will be released only after 9 p.m. when all polls close. For now, the only data we have is the turnout figures provided by municipalities. It varies from city to city as well. For example, the turnout stood at 21 percent in Amsterdam according to the latest information that we have. In fact, it is still unclear whether The Netherlands will clear the 30 percent turnout threshold, needed for a consultative referendum’s results to be recognized as valid.”
When spreading the story about 59 percent of the Dutch voting in favor of the EU-Ukraine Association and 41 percent voting against it, Ukrainian media cite a tweet by Dutch diplomat Marc Gerritsen. Do you know him? And what do you think could be the motive behind this wave of disinformation which engulfed the Ukrainian media?
“I would not cal it disinformation. Perhaps the media have employed a wrong term, falsely presenting an opinion poll as an exit poll.
“One thing I can say for sure is that as of 4 p.m. Kyiv time, we can say nothing for certain regarding the referendum’s outcome for Ukraine.
“Even legislators from the D-66 group, who are here with us campaigning for Ukraine (the Dutch law allows campaigning on the day of the referendum), do not know it.”
P.S. Official results of the referendum will be announced next Tuesday, on April 12.
Newspaper output №:
№23, (2016)Section
Day After Day
