Dublin (AFP) - Ireland will hold a referendum in May on relaxing its strict divorce laws, the government said Tuesday, the latest vote aimed at liberalising social rules in the Catholic country.
Couples are
currently required under constitutional law to live separately for four out of
the five previous years before they can be granted a divorce.
"Some
marriages do break down irreconcilably, causing immense sadness and stress for
all concerned," said justice minister Charles Flanagan.
"The
government wishes to ensure that the process for obtaining a divorce is fair,
dignified and humane and allows both parties to move forward with their lives
within a reasonable timeframe."
If a
majority vote to amend the constitution, the government intends to introduce
legislation shortening the mandated separation time -- the so-called
"pause period" -- to two out of the three previous years.
But there
is likely to be resistance in parliament over any waiting period restrictions
being enforced, given that divorces in neighbouring Great Britain can be
secured in a matter of months.
Last May, a
landslide referendum saw Ireland vote 66 percent in favour of repealing its
constitutional ban on abortions.
And in
October, voters lifted a rarely enforced constitutional ban on blasphemy.
The law
outlining the "pause period" for divorces was introduced following a
1995 referendum, when Ireland backed the legalisation 50.3 percent to 49.7
percent.
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