One man's prayer over a pint of Guinness

As the Irish voted in a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty yesterday one man in Malta was praying over a pint of Guinness, hoping for a "yes" victory when the votes are counted later today.

The outcome of the referendum will not only determine the political and institutional shape of the EU in the years to come but also the political career of Joseph Cuschieri.

He clinched the sixth seat in June's European Parliament election but whether Mr Cuschieri gets the chance to serve in Brussels or not depends on whether the treaty gets a nod from the Irish and the two other countries, the Czech Republic and Poland, which have not yet ratified it.

It is like a student waiting for an exam result that would determine his career prospects. However, Mr Cuschieri played down the importance of what he stands to gain from an Irish aye.

"My political career does hinge on this referendum but more important than my seat is the fact that Malta would be gaining its sixth seat through the Lisbon Treaty," he said when contacted.

With surveys conducted over the past few months consistently showing the "yes" vote ahead, the prospects for Mr Cuschieri look good even though he refused to be taken in by opinion polls.

"I do not believe surveys and will only stand by the final result," he said, admitting the "yes" campaign was more prepared this time around.

After giving up his parliamentary seat to Labour leader Joseph Muscat late last year, Mr Cuschieri went on to contest the MEP election. He was the next person in line with the highest number of votes after the election of five MEPs.

His future now hinges on the whims of the Irish, who just over a year ago had voted down the Lisbon Treaty. Commitments by EU leaders that the country will not be forced to legalise abortion, lose control over taxation or have its neutrality threatened were set to put voters' minds at ease.

Irish voters went to the polls under the dark clouds of an international recession, which saw Ireland take a battering after years of economic prosperity. Its impact on how people voted is, however, debatable.

"The 'yes' camp pitched its campaign on the importance of not being isolated but there is also the problem of people blaming the government for their economic problems," Mr Cuschieri said, insisting voters did not give a hoot what Lehman Brothers was.

An advantage for the yes campaign, he added, was that almost all political parties were in favour of the Lisbon Treaty.

No exit polls were permitted yesterday and vote counting is expected to start this morning with the result known by early afternoon.

The Lisbon Treaty has to be ratified by all member states before coming into force. The Maltese Parliament ratified it in January last year.

Poland and the Czech Republic halted ratification until the outcome of the Irish vote but Czech senators opposed to the treaty this week filed a complaint against it with the country's constitutional court.

Czech President Vaclav Klaus has said he will not sign the treaty until the court decides.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com