Saturday, October 03, 2009

41 Out Of 43 Constituencies Say Yes To Lisbon Treaty As Irish Referendum Is Passed

Ireland has voted in favour of the Lisbon Treaty by a margin of 67.1% to 32.9%.

The Yes result from Cork South-West saw the 'tipping-point' reached - meaning the Treaty would definitely be accepted, even in the highly unlikely event that all the remaining votes had been cast against it reports RTE.

With results for all 43 constituencies in, the two Donegal constituencies were the only No votes. In the Tánaiste's constituency of Donegal South West, the No side won by just 171 votes. The margin was higher in Donegal North East, at 848, but Donegal stands alone - every other constituency in the country appears to have voted yes.

The final result shows a stunning 20% swing to the Yes side since the first Lisbon Referendum 15 months ago. In County Clare, 72.3% of voters said yes, represeenting a 20.5% swing from the last referndum.

The highest yes vote was in Dublin South, at just under 82%, closely followed by Dún Laoghaire at just under 81%. Higher turnout is part of the answer for the swing - the Government and the main Opposition parties, who all campaigned for a Yes, will now argue about who did most to win the referendum.