The referendum aimed at modernizing the concept of the family and the place of women in the Irish Constitution has been lost, announced Saturday the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, whose government was at the initiative of this attempt at reform.
Few voters were expected at the polling stations on March 8, the date of International Women's Day.
All major political parties favored a
"Yes"
vote and, until recently, polls predicted a fairly easy referendum vote.
But the latest polls had revealed growing uncertainty over the result, in particular due to the imprecision of the questions put to the vote.
“I think it is clear at this stage that the amendments (...) were rejected
,” said the head of the executive at a press conference, adding that his government
“will accept the result and the will fully respect
.
Imprecise terms
The first question concerned the definition of family, and proposed expanding it beyond that based on marriage, to also include
"lasting relationships"
such as cohabiting couples and their children.
The second proposed erasing an outdated reference to the role of women in the home, which suggests that they have a duty to care for the other people under their roof.
“No one knows exactly what a 'long-term relationship' is, while everyone knows exactly what a marriage is
,” criticized David Quinn, founder of the Iona Institute, a group defending the interests of the Catholic community.
“
Many people will vote 'No' because of the confusion”
caused and the disappearance of the words
“woman”
and
“mother”
from the text, he warned.