Ireland - March 2024
Irish voters reject constitutional changes
Ireland held two referendums on 8 March, one to change the family amendment and one to change the care amendment in the constitution. Proponents of these amendments, including all parliamentary parties except the social conservative Aontú, argued that the wording in the constitution is outdated. The proposed revisions aimed to broaden the definition of family to encompass "marriage and other enduring relationships" instead of solely marriage, and to eliminate a mention of a mother's "duties in the home" from the care amendment. The voter turnout was 44.4 per cent and the referendums were both rejected by an overwhelming majority, with 67.7 per cent voting no to the family referendum and 73.9 per cent voting no to the care referendum. The changes were criticized for being too vague. Shortly after the referendum, on 20 March, the Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar resigned, citing personal and political reasons. He was succeeded by party colleague Simon Harris.
Sources: BBC (1), The Conversation (1), BBC (2), The Electoral Commission, The Conversation (2), The Conversation (3), Department of the Taoiseach
