The 'nee'-sayers of the Netherlands were expected to drive another nail into the coffin of the draft European Union constitution today as the Dutch voted in their first ever national referendum.

With opinion polls predicting that a majority approaching 60 per cent would reject the EU constitutional charter, Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister, made a last-minute plea for voters to back the constitution.

"Let’s not let ourselves be led by polls," he said. "Let’s hope that when they’re in the voting booth, people think about all the people that say this constitution would be a positive development...If you want to move the economy forward you must vote ’yes’."

Mr Balkenende was an early voter at his local station in Capelle aan den Ijssel, near Rotterdam, joking with reporters and photographers: "You did note correctly that that was a ’yes’ vote, right?"

He added: "The question is: do we want to have progress today or do we choose a standstill, and for me the choice is obvious."

After France's rejection of the treaty on Sunday, a Dutch 'no' vote would leave Europe's leaders without a back-up plan for what to do after two of the EU's 25 member states say they will not approve its new ground rules.

Voting booths opened at 7.30am (6.30am UK time) and were due to close at 9pm (8pm UK time). Thanks to the use of new electronic technology, the first results were expected within half an hour, and final results two hours later.

By 2pm, some 24 per cent of the country's 11.6 million eligible voters had visited the polls, nine per cent higher than at the same point in European parliamentary elections last June. In that election, turnout ended up at 39.1 per cent. "During the European elections, I fell asleep from time to time, but today it’s more lively," said a poll worker in Nijmegen, near the German border,

As in France, the major political forces back the Constitution, which both Mr Balkenende’s centre-right conservative Government and the main opposition Labour Party say would streamline decision-making in the Union.

But Dutch opponents of the treaty fear that the Netherlands, with a population of just 16 million, risks being swamped in a European superstate run by Brussels and dominated by the major European powers.

Also as in France, voters see the refendum as a chance to send a message to their own unpopular national Government. Many are still angered at price increases that followed the introduction of the euro in 2002. There are also widespread fears that the eventual accession of Turkey will worsen relations between Dutch Muslims and the Dutch majority.

"I think it’s a good thing if there’s a strong Europe," said Jaena Padberg, an early 'yes' voter outside a busy voting station at a community school in Amsterdam. "It’s good that our rights will be be secured."

But the 'no' voters were visibly out in force. "In other countries that are going to join human rights are not as well protected as they are here," said one of them, Mika Gruschke. "Things are going too fast," added another, Maarten Pijnenburg.

Mr Balkenende repeated that a Dutch 'no' would not end any political careers, unlike in France, where the vote precipitated the resignation of Jean-Pierre Raffarin, the Prime Minister. President Chirac yesterday appointed his close aide Dominique de Villepin - known as a nationalist whose heroes are Napoleon and De Gaulle - to replace him.

So far, nine countries have ratified the constitution: Austria, Hungary, Italy, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Slovakia, and Slovenia by votes of their parliaments; and Spain by a referendum. Of those countries still due to hold referenda, only Britain has refused to confirm whether the vote will now go ahead after France's rejection of the charter.

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