Irish celebrate as voters rejected Lisbon Treaty on the European Union reform on June 13, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Irish voters have rejected Lisbon Treaty on the European Union reform at 862,415 to 752,451 votes as the results were announced in Dublin on Friday afternoon, Sky news reported.
The official results show that 53.4 percent of voters have voted against the treaty in the referendum.
Ireland is the only country that holds a public ballot on the EU reform treaty. Its "No" vote is believed to have plunged Europe into a difficult situation.
Irish celebrate as voters rejected Lisbon Treaty on the European Union reform on June 13, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
Earlier in the afternoon, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said in Brussels that the Irish "No" vote should not be seen as "voting against the European Union."
According to Barroso, 18 member states so far have ratified the Lisbon Treaty and other EU states "should continue to ratify treaty despite the Irish result." There should be a collective response to solve the issue of building a strong Europe.
Irish celebrate as voters rejected Lisbon Treaty on the European Union reform on June 13, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also called the Irish referendum as a "hard blow."
(Xinhua News Agency June 14,2008)
