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Same-sex couples will soon be able to walk down the aisle in the Emerald Isle.
Ireland became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex
marriage through a popular vote on Saturday — and what a popular vote
"yes" was in the landmark referendum that will change the nation's
constitution.
With votes tallied from nearly all of Ireland's 43 parliamentary
constituencies, the measure will sail through with more than 60% of
voters approving, according to official results.
Roscommon-South Leitrim, a rural section in the middle of the country,
was the lone constituency not to approve the measure.
More than 1.8 million Irish voters participated in the election, about
60% percent of the total electorate in the majority Catholic nation.
There was speculation that opposition to the measure might have been
understated in the run-up to the poll because, amid the heated debate,
people have been shy of saying they plan to vote "no."
But once the votes began to be tallied, the result never appeared to
be in doubt.
Leading figures for the "no" campaign conceded defeat several hours
before public service broadcaster RTE made it official
David Quinn — a director of the Iona Institute, a conservative
Catholic think tank that advocated against legalizing same-sex
marriage tweeted,"Congratulations to the Yes side. Well done.
#MarRef."
A news release from the Iona Institute also paid tribute to the "yes"
campaign's" handsome victory," while thanking all the thousands of
people who campaigned on the "no" side.
Credit: CNN
