The Republic of Ireland held a second referendum on the European Union (EU)'s reform treaty Lisbon Treaty on Friday.

Polling stations are open from 7 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) to 10 p.m. (2100 GMT). The poll at the referendum is taken in 43 parliament constituencies and the electorate currently stands at more than 3 million.

All political activities will be prohibited in the vicinity of polling stations for the duration of the poll and for half an hour before and after the vote.

After the close of the poll, the ballot boxes used at each polling station will be moved to a count center for the constituency concerned. At 9 a.m. local time (0800 GMT) on Saturday, the local returning officer will open the ballot boxes for the constituency and verify the ballot paper accounts.

It is expected that the result of the referendum will be available in the late afternoon on Saturday and formally announced by the Referendum Returning Officer Maurice Coughlan, principal officer of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government at the Central Count Center, in St. Patrick's Hall, Dublin Castle.

During the previous referendum in June 2008, Irish voters rejected the treaty with 53.4 percent voting "No" and 46.6 percent "Yes" due to their concerns over Ireland's military neutrality, its opposition to abortion, national rights on taxation.

In June, the EU took a major step forward toward implementation of its reform treaty, agreeing to provide legally-binding guarantees to Ireland to overcome voters' misgivings.

Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen has definitely ruled out a third Lisbon Treaty referendum or a change of government if there is another "No" vote. "There won't be a Lisbon Three-that's for sure," he said.

In his final plea for a "Yes" vote at the Friday referendum, Cowen claimed that passing the Lisbon Treaty would mark the first step in Ireland's road to economic recovery.

He stressed that a "No" vote would lead to a period of uncertainty and that a two-speed Europe could follow.

"I think what's clear is that we would face into a period of extraordinary uncertainty in Europe," he said.

"You could well see the development of a two-speed Europe... At a time of major economic challenge, what we need is stability and certainty in the direction which Europe is taking," he added.

The Taoiseach noted that two out of every three jobs in Ireland were dependent on European markets and that Ireland needed to be part of the decision-making process.

Cowen said "it is an irrefutable fact that every time Ireland has voted to support the development of the EU, our country has benefited."

"Our infrastructure, both material and social, has thrived through our engagement with the EU," he added.

The Lisbon Treaty, signed by EU heads of state and government in December 2007 in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon, replaced a failed EU constitution, which was rejected by voters in France and the Netherlands in 2005.

The charter must be ratified by all 27 EU member states and Ireland is the only EU member state to hold a referendum. So far, 26 countries have approved the document through parliamentary vote.

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