The Irish Government yesterday suffered defeat in a referendum to abolish the Seanad, the country's upper house of parliament, or Senate.
The No side emerged victorious with 51.7% of the public voting against the move. The campaign, spearheaded by Taoiseach Enda Kenny, had argued it could have saved Irish taxpayers around €20 million a year. Turnout was just under 40%.
The Seanad has existed for more than 90 years, with 60 senators being elected mainly by local councillors.
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