Ireland Votes 'No' on Lisbon Treaty - EU in Panic

Irish
Justice Minister Dermot Ahern says substantial referendum returns show
that Ireland has rejected the European Union reform treaty.

Electoral officials expect to confirm the result later Friday.

Ahern based his conclusion on tallies of votes produced nationally by election observers as well as early official returns.

They
show the "no" camp ahead in the vast majority of Ireland's 43 electoral
constituencies, while pro-treaty voters were clearly ahead in only a
few.

The expected result would be a major blow to the 27-nation
bloc. All member nations must approve the treaty for it to go into
effect.

The European Union's reform treaty faced a rising threat of Irish rejection Friday as unofficial tallies of votes demonstrated strong support among "no" voters.

A "no" outcome would throw the EU into renewed diplomatic turmoil and fuel cries across the continent for more democratic accountability at the heart of the 27-nation bloc.

The Lisbon Treaty was painstakingly negotiated following the failure of the EU's proposed constitution, which French and Dutch voters rejected in 2005.

All EU nations must approve the Lisbon Treaty for it to become law. The other 26 members planned to ratify the document only through their national governments. Eighteen have already done so, while the rest were waiting for Ireland's referendum result.

The treaty seeks to rescue from the constitution's ashes many reforms to make the EU function better. These included beefing up the roles of the EU's president and foreign policy chief, and reducing the areas where individual nations could veto policy changes.