BRUSSELS, May 30 (Xinhuanet) -- Usually, a song contest provokes no more than some giggling at bad choreography and hideous costumes, and a lament that the voting is rigged. But now it seemsthat accusations of strategic voting could influence a far more significant poll: the Netherlands' referendum on the European Constitution.

    After the massive rejection by the French voters to the first-ever European Union (EU) constitution in Sunday's referendum, people are turning their eyes to the Netherlands, the third EU member states to hold a referendum and where a "No" result is predicted according to recent polls.

    This year's Eurovision Song Contest featured songs from 39 countries, including long-time participant the Netherlands. However, the Dutch song failed to win enough votes to go through from the semi-final to the big night on Saturday in Kiev.

    Many Dutch viewers blamed that the East European countries wereapparently giving each other high points

    The crushing loss has triggered furious debate in Dutch media about the EU constitution which paves the way for deeper European integration. Those opponents argued that it is a sign that the EU is unfairly weighted against them since the EU enlargement, which has embraced nearly a dozen east and central European countries. Those angry voters intended to show their anger by giving a big 'zero points' to the constitution in Wednesday's vote.

    With the European integration process going deeper and deeper, euroscepticism is on the rise in the Netherlands, an EU founding member, where opinion polls have shown up to 60 percent of people being against the new EU rule book. Many people are afraid that further integration could bring further loss of national power anda new eastern domination of the EU.

    Cornald Maas, a Dutch television commentator, envisages that itcould have a real impact on voting in the referendum on June 1.

    "Yes I think so - but I don't hope so, because I don't think it's good for the image of the Dutch in Europe. The Dutch are much bitter than people in other countries," he was quoted by Radio Netherlands as saying.

    "It's really strange; the Dutch over the last two or three years, they only look at themselves - they don't think much about what happens in other countries, they don't pay attention to important international influences... I do hope they won't think of Glennis Grace or the Eurovision Song Contest when they vote forthe European law."

    On Sunday evening, right after the announcement of the voting result in France, Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende made anew appeal to his country's voters to support the new EU charter, saying there is now all the more reason for a Dutch "JA" after theFrench "NON". He says the Netherlands should make an independent decision. Enditem