Constitutional referendum on same-sex marriage in Ireland 2015

"Yes" poster

A constitutional referendum on same-sex marriage was held in Ireland on May 22, 2015 .

background

The parliament, the Oireachtas , had decided in advance to amend the 34th amendment to the constitution . In Ireland, any amendment to the constitution must be approved by the population by popular vote. That referendum was about adding an article that would legalize marriage for same-sex couples .

Social situation before the referendum

In Ireland, which is traditionally more conservative Catholic, the Catholic Church lost considerable influence in the years before the referendum. From 2002 to 2012, numerous cases of ill-treatment and abuse in facilities of the Roman Catholic Church were known; several bishops resigned. Since the legalization of homosexuality in Ireland (1993), Irish society has become more liberal in many ways. In 2011 same-sex couples were given the opportunity to enter into a registered civil partnership .

In 2015, shortly before the referendum, homosexual couples were given the opportunity to (jointly) adopt children.

There was a yes campaign promoting a “yes” to the introduction of the amendment, which was supported by the government and all major Irish parties. The no campaign was mainly carried out by Catholic priests and bishops.

The then health minister and later head of government Leo Varadkar was the first minister in Irish history to come out as homosexual because this actually private circumstance was of public interest because of his advocacy of Yes .

Polls forecast a clear majority in favor of the referendum.

execution

The polling stations were open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Western European summer time ; 3.2 million people were eligible to vote. The votes cast were counted the next day and announced at 6 p.m. local time.

At the same time, another referendum, also supported by the government, was held to lower the minimum age for running for president from 35 to 21 years. This 35th constitutional amendment initiative was rejected by around 73 percent of the voters.

Result

Around 62 percent of the Irish voted for the amendment to be included in the constitution; the initiative was adopted in almost all constituencies (all but one). The approval rate in the capital districts (in the Dublin area ) was up to 75% higher than in rural areas.

The official final result showed a vote of approval of 1,201,607 “yes” votes (approx. 62.07 percent) compared to 734,300 people who voted “no” (approx. 37.93 percent). At around 60.5 percent, the turnout was higher than in any previous referenda in the past twenty years. (Back then - in 1995 - the Irish had voted for the second time on the right to divorce; before that, in 1937, the adoption of the constitution in the very first referendum had resulted in the highest voter turnout of 75.8%.) It was also in the country voter turnout was unusually high: there it reached an average of 40%.

Election result (green: yes; red: no)

72.5% -75%

70% -72.49%

67.5% -69.99%

65% -67.49%

62.5% -64.99%

60% -62.49%

57.5% -59.99%

55% -57.49%

52.5% -54.99%

50% -52.49%

48.58%

Constituencies	Eligible voters	votes cast	votes cast (proportion)	Yes	Yes (share)	No	No (share)	Invalid
Carlow – Kilkenny	104,735	68,531	65.43	38.166	56.24	29,697	43.76	668
Cavan-Monaghan	99,265	56,774	57.19	28,494	50.65	27,763	49.35	517
Clare	81,809	48,627	59.44	28,137	58.27	20,154	41.73	336
Cork East	81,534	49,532	60.9	30,383	61.7	18,845	38.3	304
Cork North-Central	75.263	45,059	59.87	28,479	63.77	16,182	36.23	398
Cork North-West	62,118	38,997	62.8	22,388	57.9	16,298	42.1	311
Cork South-Central	92,422	59,018	63.86	38,591	65.78	20,072	34.22	355
Cork South-West	59,813	37.107	61.7	20,627	56	16,225	44	255
Donegal North-East	59,721	30,723	51.44	16,040	52.46	14,492	47.54	191
Donegal South-West	62.171	32.051	51.98	15,907	50.05	15,874	49.95	270
Dublin Central	57.193	33.163	57.98	23,861	72.37	9,108	27.63	191
Dublin Mid-West	67.091	42,528	63.39	29,984	70.93	12,291	29.07	253
Dublin North	72,523	47,743	65.83	34,494	72.61	13.009	27.39	240
Dublin North-Central	53,785	37.032	68.85	25,382	68.95	11,431	31.05	219
Dublin North-East	59,549	39,526	66.38	26,222	66.70	13,090	33.30	214
Dublin North-West	50,943	30.133	59.64	20,919	70.36	8,814	29.64	400
Dublin South	103,969	70,543	69.24	49.109	69.90	21,150	30.10	284
Dublin South-Central	80.406	48,690	60.56	34,988	72.28	13,418	27.72	284
Dublin South-East	59,376	34,452	58.02	25,655	74.91	8,594	25.09	203
Dublin South-West	71,232	45.169	63.41	32.010	71.27	12,901	28.73	258
Dublin West	65,643	42,250	64.36	29,690	70.62	12,350	29.38	210
Dún Laoghaire	80.176	53,762	67.05	38.284	71.62	15,168	28.38	310
Galway East	85,900	48.110	56.01	25,389	53.28	22,265	46.72	456
Galway West	95,180	52,521	55.18	32,037	61.50	20,053	38.50	431
Kerry North – West Limerick	62,523	35,769	57.21	19,678	55.45	15,808	44.55	283
Kerry South	57,524	33,476	58.19	18,357	55.31	14,831	44.69	288
Kildare North	79.014	49,029	62.05	33,960	69.67	14,782	30.33	287
Kildare South	60,384	35,272	58.41	23.199	66.17	11,861	33.83	212
Laois-Offaly	108,436	63.297	58.37	35,685	56.81	27,135	43.19	477
limerick	64,100	37.504	58.51	20,322	54.75	16,797	45.25	385
Limerick City	61,421	38,881	63.30	24,789	64.15	13,855	35.85	237
Longford-Westmeath	87,425	47,879	54.77	25,445	53.60	22,025	46.40	409
Louth	102,561	61,450	59.92	38,758	63.46	22,313	36.54	379
Mayo	97.296	55,929	57.48	28,801	52.02	26,566	47.98	562
Meath East	64,956	38,767	59.68	24,525	63.62	14,025	36.38	217
Meath West	63,649	35,821	56.28	21,374	60.10	14,189	39.90	258
Roscommon-South Leitrim	59,392	36,522	61.49	17,615	48.58	18,644	51.42	263
Sligo-North Leitrim	62,031	35,842	57.78	19,043	53.57	16,502	46.43	297
Tipperary North	62,233	40,725	62.5	22,077	54.68	18,298	45.32	350
Tipperary South	56,060	34,539	59.3	19.203	54.69	15,012	45.31	324
Waterford	79,669	47.297	59.37	28,313	60.33	18,620	39.67	364
Wexford	111,474	64,450	57.82	40,692	63.59	23,298	36.41	460
Wicklow	94.275	64,830	68.77	44,059	68.37	20,382	31.63	387
total	3,206,151	1,949,725	60.52	1,201,607	62.07	734,300	37.93	13,818

Ireland is now the twentieth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage and the first to do so by referendum. In order to finally enable gay and lesbian couples to get married, the project has to be ratified or further legislative changes have to be approved in the Irish Parliament. The Irish Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald announced a vote to this effect for the summer (June / July) of this year. On October 22, 2015, the Dáil Éireann and the Seanad Éireann passed the Irish Executive Law, which came into effect on November 16, 2015.

Reactions abroad

The fact that Ireland, which is considered to be “arch-Catholic”, will also open marriage to same-sex couples in the future, met with a great response abroad.

Top politicians like the Prime Minister of Great Britain , David Cameron , and the American presidential candidate for the Democrats , Hillary Clinton , welcomed the decision on social networks like Twitter and Facebook .

Cardinal State Secretary Pietro Parolin , a confidante of Pope Francis , described the vote as a "defeat for humanity" according to Vatican Radio.

Feedback in Germany

But especially in Germany, the historic event sparked a new debate about same-sex marriage , which has been hotly debated for many years:

Previously, the left-wing parliamentary group introduced a bill to open up marriage to people of the same sex in the Bundestag at the beginning of the current legislative period ; Federal Minister of Justice Heiko Maas has drawn up a draft that aims to put life partners on an equal footing with marriage in some laws or ordinances, and which is to be discussed in the federal cabinet in the week following the referendum.

In view of the recent events in Ireland, many politicians from the two opposition parties ( Die Linke and Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen ), including chairmen Gregor Gysi and Simone Peter , increased the pressure on the federal government to achieve full equality (following the Irish example) To achieve ways of life and to end Germany's "backwardness" in opening up marriage. Justice Minister Maas also advocated such a step several times; However, he said that this was "unfortunately difficult to achieve in the coalition with the CDU / CSU [...]". In making this statement, he also referred to the coalition agreement , which aims to equate homosexual and heterosexual couples legally, but does not explicitly address equality in marriage law. The attitude of the Union parties has therefore so far remained critical or even negative; however, there is an increasing number of supporters within the coalition, including from the ranks of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group.

Both the opposition MPs and some of the SPD now demanded a free vote - i. H. with the lifting of the parliamentary group obligation  - to introduce the right to marry homosexual couples, as this is a “decision of conscience”. Christine Lüders, the head of the Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency , brought this proposal to the public discussion a few days after the referendum in Ireland. The supporters of the project were based on the (theoretical) majorities in favor of “marriage for all” in the Bundestag and Bundesrat as well as in society.

Furthermore, some supporters of nationwide referendums - such as the Baden-Württemberg state chairman of the SPD, Nils Schmid - spoke out in favor of a similar referendum in Germany.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ As it happened: Ireland backs same-sex marriage. RTE News, accessed May 24, 2015 . 
2. ↑ Irish people voted on gay marriage date = 22. May 2015. Retrieved May 24, 2015 . 
3. ↑ Results received at the Central Count Center for the referendum on the Thirty-fifth Amendment of the Constitution (Age of Eligibility for Election to the Office of President) Bill 2015. (No longer available online.) Referendum.ie, archived from the original on July 29, 2015 ; accessed on May 24, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Referendum: Ireland votes for same-sex marriage. May 23, 2015, accessed May 24, 2015 . 
5. ↑ Referendum 2015: Home . Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2015. (English)
6. ↑ Urban voter turnout at more than 40% in many areas . The Irish Times, May 22, 2015; accessed on May 25, 2015.
7. ↑ Ireland: 62.1 percent vote for marriage for all. queer.de, May 23, 2015, accessed May 24, 2015 . 
8. ^ Same-sex marriage legislation due this summer, says Fitzgerald. RTE News (English), May 23, 2015, accessed on May 24, 2015 (English). 
9. ↑ CNN.com: Ireland step closer to same-sex marriage
10. ↑ Same-sex marriage signed into law by Ministers, accessed November 16, 2015
11. ↑ Arch-Catholic - and astonishingly liberal known Ireland. tagesschau.de, May 22, 2015, archived from the original on May 23, 2015 ; accessed on May 26, 2015 . 
12. ↑ David Cameron's Status. May 23, 2015, accessed May 26, 2015 . 
13. ^ Hillary Clinton's status. May 23, 2015, accessed May 26, 2015 . 
14. ↑ Vatican calls gay marriage "defeat for humanity". spiegel.de, May 27, 2015, accessed on May 27, 2015 . 
15. ↑ Draft law to introduce the right to marry for persons of the same sex. (PDF) German Bundestag, October 23, 2013, accessed on May 26, 2015 . 
16. ↑ After Irish vote: Opposition calls for real marriage for homosexuals. Süddeutsche Zeitung, May 25, 2015, accessed on May 26, 2015 . 
17. ↑ Opposition puts pressure. May 26, 2015, accessed May 26, 2015 . 
18. ↑ Bill after referendum in Ireland: Heiko Maas announces more rights for homosexual couples. Der Tagesspiegel, May 24, 2015, accessed on May 26, 2015 . 
19. ↑ Greens are testing the left majority in the Bundestag . ( Memento of May 27, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) heute.de, May 26, 2015, accessed on May 27, 2015
20. ↑ Veit Medick : Gay marriage: The rainbow alliance challenges Angela Merkel. Spiegel Online , May 25, 2015, accessed May 26, 2015 . 
21. ↑ Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency calls for free voting on opening marriage. queer.de, May 25, 2015, accessed May 26, 2015 . 
22. ^ Nils Schmid on gay marriage: In Germany, too, the people should decide. Stuttgarter-Nachrichten.de, May 26, 2015, accessed on May 26, 2015 .