Prague  - A total of 53 per cent of the people polled in the Czech Republic recently said they were against ratifying the European Union's Reform Treaty, also known as the Lisbon Treaty, while 47 per cent were in favour, CTK news agency reported Friday.

The opinion poll of 1,000 adults carried out by the STEM research institute in June asked "Do you think parliament should ratify the Lisbon Treaty?"

In previous surveys, supporters of the treaty had held a slight majority.

The Lisbon Treaty, which aims to simplify the decision-making process in the 27-member bloc, is currently being challenged in the Czech Constitutional Court following its rejection by Irish voters in a referendum last month.

As a result of the constitutional challenge, parliament has suspended the ratification process.

President Vaclav Klaus has openly come out against the treaty. (dpa)