"It seems certain that Irish voters have rejected the Lisbon Treaty," the broadcaster said, predicting that only six of the country's 43 constituencies had voted "yes" to the treaty in Thursday's referendum.

 

RTE said that in the first two constituencies to declare results, the "no" vote was higher than was recorded in a 2001 referendum in which Irish voters rejected the EU's Nice Treaty.

 

It said that if the trend was followed in other parts of the country, the Lisbon Treaty was heading for defeat.

 

Justice Minister Dermot Ahern had told RTE earlier Friday that the "no" camp appeared to have prevailed.

 

Ireland is the only member of the European Union holding a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, but it could stop it in its tracks since all 27 member countries have to ratify the agreement for it to come into force.

 

The Lisbon Treaty replaced the draft EU constitution, which was rejected by French and Dutch voters in referendums in 2005, plunging the bloc into a crisis.