A negative result is looming up for the referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, taking place in Ireland yesterday. The scrutiny of the ballots is still going on, but ratification rejection is prevailing in almost all the 43 counties, with an average of 55% for "no" against 45% for "yes". At present, the website of the daily "The Irish Times" is publishing the results for six electoral wards, both in the North and the South of the island and in 5 cases rejection is in the lead, with percentages ranging from 53% to 59%. In just one case they are equal. No official comments from Dublin until now, apart from the informal announcement by the Ministry of Justice, Dermot Ahern, according to whom "rejection won; the people expressed themselves like that". According to the exponent of the government, it is "a disappointing result which must nevertheless be taken into consideration". Late in the afternoon, a speech by the president of the European Union commission, José Manuel Barroso, is scheduled. The Council of the leaders of State and government of the Union will take care of the missed ratification of the Treaty, which is a reviewed and less severe variant of the Constitution rejected by the French and the Dutch in 2005. Those leaders are meeting in Brussels on 19th and 20h June.
