Austrian parliament's upper house ratifies EU treaty
(VIENNA) - The Austrian parliament's upper house on Thursday ratified the Lisbon Treaty, aimed at reforming decision-making in the explanded European Union.
The upper house ratified the treay by a large majority, after the lower house voted in favour of it on April 9.
The document, backed by the ruling Social Democrats and Conservatives, as well as the opposition Greens, was ratified by 151 votes to 27. Only the two opposition far-right parties fought the move.
In protest, groups opposed to the moved gathered thousands of demonstrators in the streets of Vienna in early April, demanding a referendum on the treaty. More than 100,000 people signed a petition, the protestors said.
Austrian President Heinz Fischer has insisted he will only decide on signing the treaty after hearing every political party's opinion on it.
The Lisbon Treaty, which replaces a draft constitution rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005, must be ratified by all 27 EU members before it can come into effect in 2009, as planned. Only Ireland is holding a referendum on the treaty.
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