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local
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Pressure grows for introduction
of divorce 58% in favour, 36% against
According to a survey carried out by MaltaToday, a majority of
readers favour the introduction of divorce.
Divorce cannot
be obtained from the courts of law in Malta even though the number
of local separations has reached astronomical figures.
And though
divorce is still not legal, many unmarried couples choose to co-habit
despite the stigma they carry with them.
A total of
58% of all respondents out of at least 500 replies indicated a
positive attitude towards the introduction of divorce, while 36.3%
gave a clear no. The rest were unsure.
The issue
of divorce has stayed on the backburner for years. None of the
main political parties has taken a stand in its favour, although
at one point the small green party, Alternattiva Demokratika,
had championed the cause but has now changed to being rather aloof
about the whole matter. When in government, Dr Alfred Sant had
appointed a commission to look into the matter of divorce. Many
senior Labour officials are in favour of divorce, but are unwilling
to tackle the issue in an electoral base.
The pressure
to recognise individuals who live together and are not married
coerced Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami, a devout Roman Catholic
and a strong opponent to divorce, to allow for the legal recognition
of those who co-habit.
The pre-electoral
move was interpreted as one that would placate the middle class
liberal lobby that traditionally supports the Nationalist party.
But the Catholic
Church remains strongly influential in Malta and many politicians
fear it when it comes to channelling voter trends in tightly fought
constituencies.
However,
the ever-increasing number of marriage breakdowns that affect
many families, including those of some top Maltese politicians,
from the President to backbenchers, may eventually catalyse local
decision makers to align themselves with reality. Malta remains
the only European state with no legal divorce, an anachronism
when one considers its bid to become a full member of the European
Union.
There are
no lobby groups to galvanise public opinion other than the Association
of Men's Rights, but the organisation is not taken particularly
seriously by the media or public.
Related
articles:
Editorial
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