Lisbon Treaty is passed

With results in from almost all of the constituencies, the Lisbon referendum has been passed in the 26 Counties by a margin of about two to one.

>>>>>> Flash: Lisbon Treaty is passed

With results in from almost all of the constituencies, the Lisbon referendum has been passed in the 26 Counties by a margin of about two to one.

The vote marks a reversal of last year’s result and follows the negotiation of a number of additional ‘guarantees’ between Dublin and Brussels and a sharp deterioration in the Irish economy.

It was clear that those groups who suffered most as a result of the recession swung most strongly towards the ‘Yes’ side, particularly those living in Dublin’s commuter belt and farmers.

The only constituencies to vote against the treaty were Donegal North-East and Donegal South-West.

Despite evidence that voters backed Lisbon in fear of his government rather than because of it, the Taoiseach Brian Cowen hailed the result as a triumph.

He said the people of the 26 Counties had spoken with “a clear and resounding voice”.

“It’s a good day for Ireland and it is a good day for Europe,” he said.

“We as a nation have taken a decisive step for a stronger, fairer, better Ireland and Europe,” he said.

Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore described the ‘Yes’ vote as a sensible, necessary one that had been achieved despite the unpopularity of the coalition government.

On the ‘No’ side, Socialist Party MEP Joe Higgins said he accepted that the Lisbon Treaty had been endorsed by the Irish public but stressed that the ‘No’ campaign had performed well.

Sinn Fein Vice President Mary Lou McDonald said that there is some evidence of disillusionment that people were asked to vote again on the treaty.

She also said that the inaccuracies of the Yes side’s argument in relation to ‘jobs and recovery’ had won out.

“The biggest factor was the economic climate,” she said.

“The government and opposition political parties told the unemployed that there will be no jobs if Lisbon goes down. It was dishonorable and inaccurate.”

International commentators also suggested that voters had switched sides to embrace European shelter, as the economy shrinks at a record pace and unemployment surges.

The ‘Yes’ was well funded and is thought to have spent several times that of the ‘No’ campaign.

All of the major political parties, except Sinn Fein, campaigned for the treaty. They joined Ryanair Holdings Plc Chief Executive Officer Michael O’Leary and the head of Intel Corp.’s local unit, Jim O’Hara, who spearheaded the business campaign to reverse last year’s vote. The mainstream media campaigned heavily for a ‘Yes’ vote, as did the European Union through its Interinstitutional Group on Information.

Irish approval leaves the Czech Republic and Poland the only countries yet to ratify the treaty, which will create a full-time EU President for a federalised and militarised European Union.

The following are the results so far:

Carlow-Kilkenny: 65% of boxes open
Prediction = Yes

Cavan-Monaghan: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 34,740 (61.99%); No: 21,301 (38.01%)

Clare: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 33,707 (72.32%); No: 12,898 (27.68%)

Cork East: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 31,956 (66.10%); No: 16,387 (33.90%)

Cork North Central: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 21,642 (55.81%); No: 17,136 (44.19%)

Cork North West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 27,249 (69.53%); No: 11,942 (30.47%)

Cork South Central: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 36,040 (66.85%); No: 17,874 (33.15%)

Cork South West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 23,764 (67.17%); No: 11,615 (32.83%)

Donegal North East: Official Result = No
Yes: 14,156 (48.54%); No: 15,005 (51.46%)

Donegal South West: Official Result = No
Yes: 15,623 (49.73%); No: 15,794 (50.27%)

Dublin Central: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 18,545 (61.94%); No: 11,396 (38.06%)

Dublin Mid-West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 21,435 (61.49%); No: 13,424 (38.51%)

Dublin North: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 36,971 (72.68%); No: 13,895 (27.32%)

Dublin North Central: 100% open;
Prediction = 70/30 Yes

Dublin North East: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 21,045 (63.46%); No: 12,117 (36.54%)

Dublin North West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 15,734 (55.04%); No: 12,850 (44.96%)

Dublin South: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 47,549 (81.67%); No: 10,672 (18.33%)

Dublin South Central: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 25,854 (57.97%); No: 18,742 (42.03%)

Dublin South East: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 23,478 (78.67%); No: 6,365 (21.33%)

Dublin South West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 23,192 (58.91%); No: 16,178 (41.09%)

Dublin West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 21,429 (68.50%); No: 9,852 (31.50%)

Dun Laoghaire: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 45,917 (81.17%); No: 10,651 (18.83%)

Galway East: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 30,549 (68.11%); No: 14,306 (31.89%)

Galway West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 31,000 (66.34%); No: 15,732 (33.66%)

Kerry North: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 19,543 (63.58%); No: 11,193 (36.42%)

Kerry South: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 20,092 (66.39%); No: 10,170 (33.61%)

Kildare North: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 32,012 (76.19%); No: 10,002 (23.81%)

Kildare South: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 21,586 (69.72%); No: 9,373 (30.28%)

Laois-Offaly: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 46,624 (73.17%); No: 17.097 (26.83%)

Limerick East: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 30,210 (67.41%); No: 14,607 (32.59%)

Limerick West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 23,366 (69.32%); No: 10,343 (30.68%)

Longford-Westmeath: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 30,870 (65.64%); No: 16,156 (34.36%)

Louth: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 30,116 (61.02%); No: 19,241 (38.98%)

Mayo: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 34,056 (61.71%); No: 21,132 (38.29%)

Meath East: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 27,822 (72.31%); No: 10,653 (27.69%)

Meath West: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 23,103 (64.88%); No: 12,504 (35.12%)

Roscommon-South Leitrim: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 25,580 (65.97%); No: 13,194 (34.03%)

Sligo-North Leitrim: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 21,295 (64.45%); No: 11,744 (35.55%)

Tipperary North: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 25,768 (70.38%); No: 10,846 (29.62%)

Tipperary South: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 22,712 (68.42%); No: 10,483 (31.58%)

Waterford: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 30,744 (68.53%); No: 14,116 (31.47%)

Wexford: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 39,463 (65.20%); No: 21,067 (34.80%)

Wicklow: Official Result = Yes
Yes: 41,540 (70.75%); No: 17,174 (29.25%)

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