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File photo of Malta's Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi casting a vote in the 2009 European elections. AP Photo/Lino Arrigo Azzopardi
Malta
Malta votes to legalise divorce
Just over half of the 72 per cent who turned out to vote in Malta approved measures to introduce divorce legislation.
VOTERS IN THE majority-Catholic country of Malta have approved the legalisation of divorce.
The Times of Malta reports that just three of the country’s 13 electoral districts rejected the introduction of legislation for divorce, while just over half of all voters across the country approved the move. Overall, turnout was about 72 per cent.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced the result this afternoon. Malta is the only EU country not to have allowed divorce yet and until now was one of only two countries in the world to ban it, according to Deutsche Welle.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who had opposed the introduction of divorce, said that the will of the majority would be respected, the Times of Malta reports.
Couples who have been separated for more than four years will be able to seek a divorce once legislators put the relevant laws into place.
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