Ireland rejects constitution changes, keeps `women in the home' language

Voters in Ireland rejected two proposed changes to the country's constitution that would have removed language about women's duties being in the home and broadened the definition of family beyond marriage, dealing a blow to the government that analysts said suggested the weakness of their campaign to pass the proposals.

After a series of referendums in recent years had reshaped Ireland's constitution in ways that reflect the country's more secular and liberal modern identity, the result came as a surprise to some, including the government. But analysts said that rather than signaling a step back from those values, the results reflected a confusing, disjointed campaign that had left many voters reluctant to vote yes.

Each proposal was defeated by a wide margin, according to the results, which were announced Saturday, an unexpected defeat for equality campaigners and for the coalition government of Leo Varadkar, the prime minister.

Despite the fact that all of the country's major political parties supported both proposals, some critics said the proposed clauses did not go far enough, while others faulted phrasing that they said was too broad.

Varadkar, speaking Saturday after the votes had been tallied, said the defeat was clear.

“As head of government and on behalf of the government, we accept responsibility for the result,” he said. “It was our responsibility to convince the majority of people to vote `yes,' and we clearly failed to do so.”

Irish citizens went to the polls Friday, International Women's Day, to vote in two referendums to amend the country's 87-yearold constitution, which was drafted when the Roman Catholic Church's influence on many aspects of life in Ireland was immense.

Supporters viewed the proposed amendments as vital to ensuring that the constitution reflected the country's more secular and liberal modern identity. But many voted “no” to both referendum questions.

Analysts and politicians said the results were more complex than a simple rejection of the proposed changes. A lower-thanexpected voter turnout and confusing messaging by the “yes” campaign may have contributed to the proposals' failures, they said.

Still, 44% of the population turned out for the vote, and 67.7% of voters refused the changes, according to the official results.