Maltese say yes to divorce

Updated on: 30 May,2011 07:33 AM IST |
Agencies |

Overwhelmingly Catholic Malta has voted in favour of legalising divorce, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced yesterday after a referendum in one of the only two countries where it is still banned

Overwhelmingly Catholic Malta has voted in favour of legalising divorce, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi announced yesterday after a referendum in one of the only two countries where it is still banned.

Gonzi, who campaigned against the introduction of divorce ahead of Saturday's non-binding referendum, said it was now up to the Mediterranean archipelago's parliament to legalise the dissolution of marriage.

"This is not the result that I wished for, but the will of the people has to be respected and parliament should enact a law for the introduction of divorce," the conservative prime minister said.

Malta is one of only two countries in the world ufffd the Philippines is the other ufffd that bans divorce. Chile was the last country to legalise divorce in 2004 after overwhelming public pressure.

Saturday's referendum asked the island's 306,000 mainly Catholic voters whether parliament should introduce a new law that would allow couples to obtain a divorce after four years of separation.

Legal separation is widespread in the European Union's smallest member state, but there are many legal obstacles to re-marrying.