Irish voters reject EU reform treaty

Irish celebrate as voters rejected Lisbon Treaty on the European Union reform on June 13, 2008.

(CCTV 06-14-2008 10:26)Irish voters have rejected the EU reform treaty, putting the entire EU reform plan in peril and humiliating Ireland's political leaders. The proposed reforms would create a European Union president and a more powerful foreign policy chief.

The Irish government released the referendum results on Friday, showing the Lisbon treaty failed by a margin of 53.4 to 46.6 percent. Ireland was the only European country to put it to a popular vote.

The outcome appears likely to throw the EU into renewed diplomaticturmoil and fuel cries across the continent for more democratic accountability.

Irish government leaders hope to find a compromise solution. They say the result puts the government in an awkward situation, but refuse to declare the treaty dead.

Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern "Obviously it's disappointing. It's quite clear that there's a very substantial 'no' vote, but you know a referendum is the essence of democracy. This treaty had to be ratified by all 27 so to a certain extent we're in uncharted waters."

The EU says while it respects "the democratic will" of Irish voters, the process of ratifying the treaty should proceed.

The European Commission president has urged the other 26 EU members to continue to work to ratify the treaty. 14 have already done so.

European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso said, "The 27 heads of government will meet now next week and should see how to proceed. But as far as I understood from my conversation from Prime Minister Cowen, he also believes the treaty is not dead. I believe the treaty is alive and we should now try to find a solution."

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

Both documents sought to reshape EU powers and institutions.