Ireland rejects Lisbon Treaty on EU reform

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-14  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

SUBSTANTIAL referendum returns show that Ireland has rejected the European Union reform treaty amid a wave of antiestablishment sentiment, Irish government ministers and the state broadcaster RTE said yesterday.

Tallies of votes produced nationally by election observers, as well as early official returns, all showed the "no" camp ahead in the vast majority of Ireland's 43 electoral constituencies. Pro-treaty voters were clearly ahead in only a few.

The result has sent shock waves throughout the 27-nation bloc. The euro common currency fell to a one-month low on the news.

The outcome appears likely to throw the EU into renewed diplomatic turmoil and fuel cries across the continent for more democratic accountability. The Lisbon Treaty was painstakingly negotiated following the failure of the EU's proposed constitution, which French and Dutch voters rejected in 2005.