The Croatian movement against accession to the European Union said on Monday it would not recognize the vote in favor of EU accession in Sunday’s referendum.
With almost all votes counted in the referendum, the Croatian Central Election Commission said some 65 percent of people cast their votes in favor.
Drazen Keleminec, a spokesman for “The Movement for Croatia - No to the EU” said the referendum was held in an undemocratic atmosphere and without any public debate on the issue.
“Joining the Union will result in the loss of the sovereignty for Croatia,” he said.
Croatia signed an accession treaty with the EU in December last year and is expected to join the 27-nation bloc in July 2013.
Over 50% of Croats must give their approval for the country to become an EU member. Aside from the referendum, the document must be ratified by all the current EU member states.
Official reports suggest that joining the EU could cause economic pain for Croatia, which is already in recession. Unemployment currently stands at around 17% and the budget deficit is projected at 6.2% of GDP.
