Polling stations for a referendum on Croatia's accession to the European Union opened throughout the country at 7 am Sunday and will close at 7 pm, with 4.5 million eligible voters entitled to say "yes" or "no" to the referendum question "Are you in favour of Croatia becoming a member of the European Union?".
Some of the polling stations abroad opened earlier and some will open later due to time differences. Croatians in Auckland, New Zealand were the first to go to the polls, while the polling station in Los Angeles, United States is to open last at 4 am on 23 January, according to Central European time.
In Croatia there are 6,573 polling stations throughout the country plus 70 polling stations in institutions such as military barracks and prisons.
The voting is also organised in 52 countries worldwide at a total of 106 polling stations. The biggest number of polling stations abroad is in Bosnia and Herzegovina, 24.
The positive outcome requires the "yes" votes of at least 50 percent plus one voter who went to the polls.
In the event of a positive outcome of the referendum, Croatia will enter the European Union on 1 July 2013, after the Croatian Sabor and the parliaments of the 27 EU member-states ratify the Accession Treaty.
The EU accession referendum is the second referendum in Croatia after one in 1991 when its citizens voted for Croatia's independence from Yugoslavia.
