Almost 60 percent voted against green plans in Amsterdam referendum

During Thursday's advisory referendum in Amsterdam, 59.1 percent of voters spoke out against the municipality's green plans. Only 34.7 percent indicated that they supported the so-called Main Green Structure. The turnout for the advisory was 37.5 percent, which is about ten percent less than the number of voters for the European Parliament, local broadcaster AT5 reports.

According to the city council, the proposed policy will protect and strengthen the city's green spaces. A group of Amsterdam citizens disagreed and organized a referendum. They believe the plans are too flexible and will create fewer protected green spaces.

Alderman Reinier van Dantzig, who is behind the plans, announced late Thursday evening that the preliminary results show that a majority of voters in the capital voted against the municipality's green plans. He pointed out that further steps would be up to the city council.

Sonja Brilman, one of the initiators behind the referendum, was pleasantly surprised and could not believe that the majority voted against the city's green plans. "I had a bit of a vague feeling that it could go either way," she told AT5.

However, the result of the referendum is not binding, which means that the city council can ultimately decide whether the green plans should be changed. The city council will make a decision within four weeks. Although all votes have been counted, the final results will not be determined until June 14.

It was the first citywide referendum in Amsterdam since 2002. Since then, the rules for referendums have been relaxed. For instance, the 20 percent turnout threshold was scrapped, and fewer signatures are required to request a vote.