Ireland has voted to reject Government proposals to change the Constitution that would have removed the so-called “woman in the home” clause and widened the definition of family.
The public rejected the proposed changes on family, with 67 per cent of people voting against the amendment.
The proposed changes to care were also overwhelmingly defeated, with 73 per cent voting against it.
The referendum returning officer Barry Ryan made the official declarations at Dublin Castle on Saturday evening.
Turnout for the referenda was 44.36 per cent, a significant drop from the abortion referendum in 2018 which saw a turnout of 64 per cent.
____________________________________________________
Ireland has voted to reject the Government’s proposal to change the Constitution on family, with 67 per cent of people voting against the amendment.
The referendum returning officer Barry Ryan made the official declaration at Dublin Castle just before 7pm.
Turnout for the referenda was 44.36 per cent, a significant drop from the abortion referendum in 2018 which saw a turnout of 64 per cent.
The declaration on the care referendum is expected on Saturday evening.
_____________________________________________________
Tánaiste Micheál Martin said the majority of the public were not persuaded by the arguments for changing the Constitution.
“The result of the referendums on family and care is clear,” Mr Martin said in a statement.
“The majority were not persuaded by the arguments for changing the Constitution in this way.
“It is a core strength of our Constitution that the people have the final say. We fully respect their decision.
“There is no single reason why these proposals were rejected and, like all who supported them, we will reflect on this over time.”
_______________________________________________________
Children’s Minister Roderic O’Gorman said the Government was not successful in convincing the public of its arguments to change the Constitution.
“The Government has to make the case, and it’s clear that throughout this campaign issues were raised, issues that I think were incorrect interpretations that I and Government believe were incorrect,” Mr O’Gorman said.
“But we weren’t successful in convincing people that our arguments were strong.
“I think it has to be acknowledged that the departure from the wording of the Citizens’ Assembly meant that some of those NGOs and civil society organisations, who would have been supportive originally, didn’t feel they could support and (didn’t) feel they could campaign to the same degree.
“I think that was certainly an element.
“Finally, I think the people didn’t see the urgency of the change here in terms of the repeal campaign, where there was a clear outcome the day after the yes vote and in the case of marriage equality, where there was a clear outcome the day of the vote.
“People didn’t get that sense of the need for change here. I think that was a another factor.”
_______________________________________________
The official results of both the family and care referendums are expected to be announced at around 6pm this evening.
Some constituencies have declared results with an avalanche of results expected in the next few hours.
It’s all over bar the counting, the Government have conceded and now it’s just a matter of waiting for the official results to come in.
________________________________________________
The Taoiseach has acknowledged the family and care referendums have been comprehensively defeated.
Indications from across the country suggest it will be a no/no outcome on both ballots.
Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman said there won't be another referendum on these issues in the lifetime of this government.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Government has lost and accepts the result.
"I think it's clear at this stage the family amendment and care amendment referendums have been defeated... defeated comprehensively on a respectable turnout.... so the Government accepts the result and will respect it fully.
"As head of government, and on behalf of the Government, we accept responsibility fully for the result. It was our responsibility to convince a majority of people to vote yes, and we clearly failed to do so.
"I think we struggled to convince people of the necessity or need for the referendum at all, let alone the detail and the wording. That's obviously something we're going to have to reflect on into the weeks and months ahead."
_____________________________________________________________
The Green Party leader has admitted the case the Government presented to the public 'didn't win' in the referendums on Family and Care.
He made the comments as early indications showed a significant no vote in both questions.
When it was put to Mr Ryan that the government did not get the result it wanted, he said: “No we didn’t.
“But you have to respect the voice of the people.
“We have to wait until the final count is done but if it is a no no vote, have to respect that.
“I don’t think you can respect the people’s vote by saying ‘what went wrong, the people didn’t vote the right way’.
“People are sovereign in this. They have to decide. It’s a complex issue, both were complex.
“I would have preferred a yes yes. “I don’t accept that our campaign did go wrong.”
“We will continue to make sure in government that we will heed that advice from the people.We didn’t convince the public of the argument for a yes yes vote.
“I think the next government will have to come back to this and consider the campaign and what were the arguments that merited a no vote in both cases.”
It comes as counting is under way in twin referendums on proposed changes to the Constitution in Ireland.
The boxes were opened at 9am after the public went to the polls on Friday to vote on whether to change the wording of the Constitution relating to the areas of family and care.
Results for both will be announced separately later on Saturday.
There was a low turnout reported throughout the day, with some areas understood to be less than 30 per cent of registered voters.
There was a slight uplift at polling stations as people made their home on Friday evening. However, it is thought that numbers remained lower compared to previous referenda.
The two questions will be counted separately, with both results expected to be declared at Dublin Castle by Saturday evening.
The family amendment will be counted and declared first.
President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina voted at their polling station at St Mary’s Hospital in Phoenix Park on Friday.
It is the first time Mr Higgins, 82, has been seen in public since he was discharged from hospital on Thursday.
He was admitted to St James’ Hospital in Dublin last Thursday evening after experiencing a “mild transient weakness”.
After a seven-night stay, he returned to his official residence, Áras an Uachtaráin, on Thursday.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Tánaiste Micheal Martin and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald also voted in the referendums.
The family amendment proposes extending the meaning of family beyond one defined by marriage and to include those based on “durable” relationships.
The care amendment proposes deleting references to a woman’s roles and duties in the home, and replacing it with a new article that acknowledges family carers.
The Constitution is the fundamental legal document for the country and can only be changed with the approval of citizens through a national vote.
The campaigns have led to national debates over the role of women in the home, what responsibility the State has for care and the meaning of family.
The Government campaigned for a yes vote in both amendments. It says the changes will remove sexist language, recognise family care and extend protection to families not based on marriage.
The result of the referendums will be decided by majority.
Counting of the ballots happens at a constituency basis at various centres around the country.
