Bratislava - Slovakia's opposition-backed referendum aimed at ousting the government of the Prime Minister, Mr Mikulas Dzurinda, halfway through its four-year term has failed because turnout was too low, voting officials said yesterday.
Saturday's vote, the result of a campaign led by former populist prime minister, Mr Vladimir Meciar, attracted only 20 per cent of eligible voters out of the 50 per cent required for a quorum and the 40 per cent predicted by opinion polls.
Mr Meciar's Movement for a Democratic Slovakia responded by accusing the government of trickery and said it did not rule out contesting the result in the constitutional court.