IRELAND: VOTING IS UNDER WAY IN IRELAND IN A REFERENDUM ON RATIFICATION OF THE NICE TREATY

Record ID: 648298

  • Title: IRELAND: VOTING IS UNDER WAY IN IRELAND IN A REFERENDUM ON RATIFICATION OF THE NICE TREATY
  • Date: 7th June 2001
  • Summary: (W4) DUBLIN, IRELAND (JUNE 7, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SLV PEOPLE ENTER ST LOUIS' CONVENT SCHOOL POLLING STATION 0.10 2. SV OFFICIALS SEATED (2 SHOTS) 0.23 3. MCU PEOPLE WAITING TO VOTE 0.30 4. CU OF BALLOT SLIP (3 SHOTS) 0.47 5. SV OFFICIALS AND VOTERS 0.55 6. SLV/SV/CU PEOPLE VOTING (10 SHOTS) 1.48 7. CU/SV POSTER READING "SOCIALISTS SUPPORT NICE" (2 SHOTS) 1.58 8. CU GAELIC LANGUAGE POSTER SUPPORTING YES TO NICE TREATY VOTE 2.03 9. SV/CU POSTER READING "YOU WILL LOSE, VOTE NO TO THE NICE TREATY (2 SHOTS) 2.14 10. SV PEOPLE WALKING IN THE STREET 2.22 11. SV GREEN POSTER - REPUBLICAN SEIN FEIN POSTER SUPPORTING NO TO NICE TREATY VOTE 2.27 12. MCU (English) UNIDENTIFIED BUSINESSMAN SAYING: "I am going to vote "Yes" in terms of the EU vote because I think it is the right thing to do. I think Ireland will benefit hugely from EU membership and I think this is an opportunity to further integrate and enhance our position in that." 2.42 13. MCU (English) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING: "I wouldn't be in favour of the Nice Treaty because it is not conducive towards Pro-Life and the other point I am not so clear on it - but definitely No." 2.59 14. MCU (English) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING: "I feel there isn't enough information. Nobody has enough information. Everybody is very confused about it. Nobody knows which way to vote. That is what everybody is saying." 3.07 15. SLV STREET SCENE 3.21 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 22nd June 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: DUBLIN, IRELAND
  • Country: Ireland
  • Reuters ID: LVA5OBVYFNKRT8KTBV0JPHPMEE1Q
  • Story Text: Voting is under way in Ireland in a referendum on
    ratification of the Nice Treaty that could decide whether the
    EU's eastward expansion goes ahead or suffers delays.



    Just under 2.9 million of Ireland's 3.6 million people
    are eligible to vote in the referendum on Thursday (June 7),
    which Ireland alone of the 15 EU member states is required by
    its constitution to hold in order to ratify the Nice
    agreement.

    The treaty makes reforms designed to facilitate the EU
    entry of 12 candidate countries, most of them in Eastern
    Europe, and a defeat would deal a major setback to EU
    expansion plans.

    Ireland has given strong backing to EU treaties in the
    past, but this time around the political establishment, which
    strongly supports Nice, is worried that a diverse but powerful
    anti-treaty lobby may prevail.

    Both sides had predicted victory on the evening before the
    vote, although only narrowly, and a lot could depend on
    turnout. Voting began at 8 a.m. (0700 GMT) under sunny skies
    in some parts of the country.

    A businessman in Dublin said he would vote in favour of
    the Nice Treaty because he supported Ireland's membership of
    the European Union. He said: "I am going to vote "Yes" in
    terms of the EU vote because I think it is the right thing to
    do. I think Ireland will benefit hugely from EU membership and
    I think this is an opportunity to further integrate and
    enhance our position in that."
    A woman said she would not vote in favour of the Nice
    Treaty because it did not support anti-abortionists' Pro-Life
    movement. She said: "I wouldn't be in favour of the Nice
    Treaty because it is not conducive towards Pro-Life."
    Another woman said she did not think that voters had been
    given enough information on the issues surrounding the
    referendum. She said: "I feel there isn't enough information.

    Nobody has enough information. Everybody is very confused
    about it. Nobody knows which way to vote. That is what
    everybody is saying."
    The vote on the Nice Treaty and two other referendums
    being held simultaneously is by paper ballot, officials were
    not expecting results until 3 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Friday.
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