Dutch voters crushingly rejected the new European Union constitution Wednesday, with 63 per cent voting against, according to initial estimates. The "No" vote exceeded the 55 per cent recorded in France three days ago. More than 60 per cent of the 11.6 million electorate cast their ballots, although pollsters had predicted a lower turnout in the light of the French vote, DPA reported. Mainstream Dutch political parties, which backed the election, indicated that they would heed the vote, even though the referendum - the first in the Netherlands - was non-binding. The Dutch lower house is to debate the issue Thursday.
