According to the Local media - Malta has designated ‘Okay’ in a non-binding referendum on making legal divorce, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has approved.
About three-quarters of the voters voted on Saturday on whether divorce should be brought in Malta. Malta a Catholic country is the only EU country not to let divorce. Statistics from the electoral commission late on Saturday illustrated turnout was 72%, the Times of Malta reports.
"Although the consequences are not what I hoped for, now it is our responsibility to observe that the will of the greater part is valued," Dr. Gonzi said in a televised address.
Dr. Gonzi, who fought against the preface of divorce, has said it is now up the parliament to ratify a law authorizing the termination of marriage on the island.
The Catholic Church, which is very powerful in the archipelago, had also sustained a "No" vote during the movement.
The supporters of the "Yes" campaign, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, of the governing Nationalist Party, said the result was momentous. "It takes Malta into a new age where the state and the Church are separate," Mr. Orlando is referred as stating by Efe news agency.
Malta is one of only two countries in the world (with the Philippines) to prohibit divorce separately from the Vatican.
Chile was the preceding country to making law of divorce in 2004 after a tremendous public force. The voters of Malta were inquired whether parliament should initiate a new legal system that would permit couples to get a divorce after four years of disjointing.
Earlier on, couples could request for a legal separation through the courts, or look for a Church cancellation- a composite process that can take up to nine years.
A third alternative was to obtain divorced oversees- and that would then be applicable in Malta.
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