LAST UPDATE | 26 May 2019

IRELAND HAS VOTED overwhelmingly in favour of changing references to divorce in the Constitution. 

The final vote was 1,304,949 in favour of the changes (82.1%), with 284,735 against (17.9%).

A Yes vote results in the existing Article 41.3.2 (i) in Bunreacht na hÉireann being removed, meaning couples won’t have to wait as long before getting a divorce.

Since divorce was legalised in Ireland, couples had to live apart for four of the previous five years before they were eligible. 

The government plans to introduce legislation that would amend this restriction. The laws currently proposed by Fine Gael would reduce the timeframe to wait before getting a divorce to two years, rather than four.

Turnout for the vote nationally was 50.83% where over 1,727,056 voted.

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More