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- Malta's reaction to historic vote
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Parliament in mainly Roman Catholic Malta has passed a historic law legalising divorce which now only requires the president's signature.
Malta is seeing the changing of the guard on a centuries-old institution |
The law is
due to take effect in October if, as expected, it is approved by President
George Abela.
Currently,
Maltese people have to travel abroad to obtain divorces.
MPs passed
the law by 52 votes to 11 with five abstentions and one absence, months after
53% of voters backed the reform in a referendum.
An
Associated Press correspondent reports that the outcome in parliament is a
crushing victory considering that most laws in Malta are passed by just one
vote.
Nineteen
MPs from the ruling Nationalist Party approved the legislation, going against
their party's official stand.
Prime
Minister Lawrence Gonzi was one of the few who rejected the bill, believing
divorce legislation would weaken the family structure.
Before
Monday's vote, Malta was the only EU state without divorce legislation.
Until now,
couples could apply only for a legal separation through the courts or seek a
Church annulment - a complex process that can take up to nine years.
A third
option was to get divorced abroad - and that would then be valid in Malta.
The island
nation of 410,000 is believed to be 95% Catholic.
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