 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | ||||
Ballot Box Problems, Broken Laws Cast Doubt on Irish Lisbon Referendum Result |
|
James Corbett The Corbett Report 8 October, 2009
|
|
Evidence of widespread voting irregularities have emerged from last Friday's Lisbon Treaty referndum in Ireland, calling the "Yes" side's apparent victory into question. The specter of ballot box stuffing in Ireland's second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty was raised last Wednesday when officials charged with tallying the votes were sent ballot boxes 48 hours before voting began in direct violation of Irish regulations requiring that the boxes be delivered directly to voting stations under Gardai escort at 7:00 A.M. on the day of the vote. According to reports, the complaints of one of the returning officers who was concerned about the serious breach of election security were dismissed on the basis that the ballot boxes had no commercial value and thus were not in danger of being stolen. The agency involved in this decision evidently did not address the possibility of ballot box stuffing. Further concerns were raised when startling footage emerged of the scene outside the Cork City Hall where the votes were being counted. The footage clearly shows a complete absence of security of the ballots and even the ballot boxes, as unidentified people pass in and out of the area where the votes lie waiting to be counted, with one man even seen leaving with one of the ballot boxes. Watch the footage in the player below: The cameraman even enters the counting area himself unimpeded, and there is no sign of any type of security in or around the building. The complete lack of physical security of the ballot boxes show that the result of the referendum is now in doubt. In further signs of trouble for the "Yes" claim of victory in the referendum, Anthony Coughlan of the The National Platform EU Research & Information Centre has released a letter to the Referdum Commission detailing six illegalities committed by various governments and political parties in the run-up to the vote, including: The EU Commission violated European law by intervening in the treaty ratification process of a member state. EU parliamentary political parties violated both Irish and European law by funding posters and media advertisements advocating a particular result. The Irish government violated the Irish constitution by using public funds to advocate a particular result in the referendum. The Referdum Commission broke the Irish Referendum Act and its own statutes by not providing a summary of the matter (including explanations of relevant passages of the text of the referendum) to the public. These problems as well as many other indicators of widespread vote fraud have raised serious questions about the validity of the referendum and its results. So far the Irish government and EU Commission have proceeded as if the "Yes" victory was finalized, but public pressure is growing for a review of these serious breaches of law. Related works from The Corbett Report: First Order of Business for Post-Lisbon EU: Appoint War Criminal As President (article) |
