Irish vote with EU treaty in balance

Ireland is voting Thursday in a referendum that will decide the fate of a European Union treaty to streamline decision making in the 27 member bloc.

Ireland is the only one of the 27 EU member states holding a referendum -- meaning a country accounting for less than 1 percent of the bloc's 490 million population could derail a pact designed to reform how it is run.

A survey last week put opponents ahead for the first time, causing consternation in Brussels where policy chiefs need ratification from all member states to implement the replacement for a constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005.

The treaty, designed to streamline how a fast-expanding European Union is run, will create a long-term president of the European Council of EU leaders and a stronger foreign policy chief. It would also develop a more democratic voting system and give a greater say to national and European parliaments.

The last opinion poll of the campaign published at the weekend, showed opponents of the Lisbon treaty gaining ground but put the "Yes" vote slightly ahead.

Politicians say the European Union has no fallback position if the treaty is rejected, given it is already a replacement for the defunct constitution.

Most politicians, businesses, the congress of trade unions and powerful farming groups have called for a "Yes" vote, but accept that the result is likely to be close, saying that a complex treaty text has made it a hard sell to voters.

"It is true that it has not been easy for people," Prime Minister Brian Cowen said in an interview published in Italy's La Stampa newspaper. "In the past week I've seen clear signs that show a knowledge of what the Lisbon treaty means and the need to express it in a positive way."

Mary Dolan, 52, a worker in Ireland's struggling construction industry, did not agree, saying the treaty had not been explained well and that she had voted "No".

"A lot of the Irish politicians didn't want to be on the wrong side of European parties. They didn't want their hands slapped," Dolan said after casting her vote on Pearse Street, a mixed area of central Dublin where working class housing estates and shiny new docklands developments sit side by side.

GLOBAL COUNTERBALANCE

Opponents such as nationalist party Sinn Fein say Brussels and the Irish government have tried to bully people into backing the treaty but argue it should be renegotiated to better protect Ireland's sovereignty, military neutrality and influence.

The "Yes" camp warns Ireland's diplomatic clout and an economy already reeling from a property downturn would suffer if voters were ungrateful enough to reject the reform plans of an EU whose support underpinned the "Celtic Tiger" economic boom.

"The "No" camp is dedicated to a deliberate campaign to create confusion and mistrust," Cowen said. "Some of their declarations have been in bad faith, focusing on issues that have nothing to do with the treaty."

John Devlin, 45, said he expected the vote to be "very tight" but that he hoped and believed it would be carried.

"Ireland was a dusty backwater until we joined the European Union," Devlin said. "I think in Europe we should be united and seen as a counterbalance in global affairs."

Fourteen countries have already ratified it in their national parliaments but EU leaders fear some countries such as Britain may suspend the process if Ireland votes "No".

Polling ends at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT). No exit polls are planned and the result is expected on Friday.

Turnout will be key after Ireland almost scuppered EU plans for eastwards expansion by rejecting the Nice treaty in a 2001 referendum where only 35 percent of the electorate voted. It was eventually passed in a second vote but Ireland's politicians insist a rerun is not an option this time round.