THE Irish government is confident that the Good Friday peace accord will be endorsed massively today by the electorate in the Republic, with a vote of over 90% in favour being widely predicted. Counting starts tomorrow.
Even before publication of the final opinion poll of the campaign yesterday indicated a 71%-29% margin of support for the accord in Northern Ireland, sources close to Prime Minister Bertie Ahern believed that Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble was close to achieving the 70% threshold which he sees as necessary to make the historic deal work.
Unlike Northern Ireland, where Prime Minister Tony Blair carried on campaigning yesterday, a traditional moratorium on referendum campaigning 24 hours ahead of polling was observed by politicians in the Republic.
But in an article in the Irish Independent, Mr Ahern called on the people of Ireland, North and South, to seize the unique opportunity of voting for peace.
''Everyone who goes out to vote will play their part in making history,'' he wrote. ''Those who decide to vote No or not to vote at all, should examine their consciences now, so that they do not have to examine them in years to come.''
Addressing voters in Northern Ireland, Mr Ahern appealed to the middle ground not to support the anti-accord campaign. ''The people of Northern Ireland have the opportunity to make Friday, May 22, a memorable day, when the spirit of peace triumphs over the spectre of violence, intransigence and bigotry,'' he urged.
Newspapers yesterday highlighted the significance of how today marks the first occasion in 80 years when voters on both sides of the border go to the polls together to decide their future.
In a front-page banner headline story, ''It's got to be Yes! For all our tomorrows'', the Evening Herald cited 3585 reasons for supporting the referendum - the number of people killed in 30 years of violence.
In an editorial, ''Saying yes for peace'', the Irish Times noted that there was no longer any doubt that the referendums in both parts of Ireland would be carried.
''Successive polls confirm that the middle ground of opinion in both jurisdictions support the agreement as a compromise between the irreconcilable ambitions of nationalism and unionism. What remains to be seen is the extent of the consensus and, conversely, the scale of continuing opposition.''
The Irish Independent reported that Mr Ahern's role in negotiating the agreement has pushed his popularity rating in the Republic to a remarkable 82%. This is well above a 71% satisfaction rating for his minority Fianna Fail-Progressive Democrat coalition government.
Such is Mr Ahern's personal popularity that were he to call a snap election, his Fianna Fail party would win its first outright majority since 1977. But sources close to the prime minister claim he has no intention of doing so.
Aged only 46, Mr Ahern represents a younger generation of voters in the Republic which is not hung up on traditional nationalist dogmas. While still favouring a united Ireland, he prefers to concentrate on ways of promoting economic and social co-operation with Northern Ireland instead of haggling over constitutional difficulties. With the support of all the South's political parties, Mr Ahern is calling for the amending of the Republic's claim to Northern Ireland, contained in articles two and three of its constitution,
The new proposed wording reads: ''It is the firm will of the Irish nation, in harmony and friendship, to unite all the people who share the territory of the island of Ireland, in all the diversity of their identities and traditions, recognising that a united Ireland shall be brought about only by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed in both jurisdictions in the island.''
Article 19 of the constitution is also being amended to provide a legal basis for the work of cross-border bodies which will operate under the authority of Dail Eireann and the Northern Ireland assembly.
Mr Ahern has also emphasised the importance of the British-Irish Council as a means of promoting Ireland's political, economic and cultural relations with Scotland, Wales and England.
Polling stations will open at eight this morning and will remain open until 10pm. Some 2.7 million people are eligible to vote.
Voters in the Republic will also give their verdict on the Amsterdam European Union Treaty, which is expected to pass by a margin of more than two to one.
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