Divorce referendum voting kicks off

Archbishop Paul Cremona was among the first to cast his vote this morning on whether Malta should introduce legislation allowing civil divorce as proposed by Nationalist and Labour MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Evarist Bartolo.

Archbishop Cremona cast his vote in Attard’s primary school, the only voting office for the entire locality. Voting attendance was relatively sparse, but consistent, as people trickled in early. Police presence was relatively high, and media were not allowed within 50 metres of the voting office.

The voting will go on until 10 pm tonight. Vote counting will take place tomorrow at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta. The voting sorting process is expected to begin at 10am, and results are expected within the following two hours. 

Earlier this month, Cremona had emphasised that the Church would not conducting a crusade against divorce intended simply to fulfill its role to spread the word of Christ and its message about the family.

Despite this, the Church issued, among other things, a 12-point missive to Maltese and Gozitan households warning voters that abusive husbands ‘will have the right to remarry’ and that Catholics would lose the right to communion and confession should they vote in favour of the introduction of divorce legislation.

As the referendum campaign came to a close on Thursday, perhaps one of the most interesting phenomena is the relatively high number of votes that remained uncollected.

The final number of uncollected documents reached 20,775, comprising 6.4% of the persons registered to vote in this referendum. The number of uncollected votes is roughly four times as high as that in the last referendum on Malta’s accession into the European Union.

In total, according to last October’s electoral register, 325,103 people were entitled to the right to vote in this referendum.

The figure excludes the controversial 2,800 ‘lost’ votes of those young adults who turned 18 between now and last October – the focus of a squabble between Government and the Opposition over whose fault it was that they were not included into the electoral register in time for the divorce referendum.

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It-tolleranza tispikka fil-kummenti tagħkom. Kulħadd għandu dritt jivvota, anke l-Arċisqof u s-sorijiet li xbajtu turu ritratti tagħhom, qishom qed jagħmlu xi ħaġa ħażina. Għadkom ma xbajtux taqilgħu qlajjiet u taqgħu għall-patata? Bħal tal-bnadar tal-Papa. per eżempju. Lanqas jidħlilkom ġo moħħkom li llum ħafna tfal qed jagħmlu l-preċett u li hi drawwa li jittellgħu l-bnadar għall-okkażjoni?
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X'qed jaghmel hemm wahdu??? Jipprova jzomm il-hajt milli jaqa fuqu jew/?? Issa dak ghalfejn mar jivvota??? Anqas li hu mizzewweg jew jaf x'jigifieri tkun mizzewweg (forsi jaf ukoll you never know)!!!
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kmagooo3, if you think this divorce referendum has been a hurried affair, may I kindly inform you that divorce has existed for hundreds of years. In MALTA DIVORCE STARTED BEING DISCUSSED IN 1981. I WAS ONE OF A PRO-DIVORCE MOVEMENT SET UP OVER 30 YEARS AGO !! dO YOU CALL THAT A HURRIED DECISION ? EDDY PRIVITERA
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kmagooo3, if you think this divorce referendum has been a hurried affair, may I kindly inform you that divorce has existed for hundreds of years. In MALTA DIVORCE STARTED BEING DISCUSSED IN 1981. I WAS ONE OF A PRO-DIVORCE MOVEMENT SET UP OVER 30 YEARS AGO !! dO YOU CALL THAT A HURRIED DECISION ? EDDY PRIVITERA
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Mr Archbishop no use staying watching the flock ( cash cows) going in to vote they will do what they will do, you had your few minutes of fame now vote and go away and think of the next agenda if your No camp loses!! my goodness you love being the center of attention look at that wide smile from ear to ear hope it is still there tomorrow! BA BA Black Sheep! @Kmag0003 "just remember that very few church priest abused children which is very wrong and the church is taking action"... your words not mine!.. pleas explain where is the action and how many years will it take for these criminals priests who abused little children to be put to justice ? oh pardon my ignorance here they are above the law! another thing if they hurt just one child that is one child too many , children are precious and we must be responsible for them and give them a life free of abuse among other things. so now i ask you to use your logic !
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Are we going to let our marital affairs be decided by a lot of elderly nuns/monks/priests who have never been married, will never marry and have not the slightest idea of what married life means? Go and do your DUTY and VOTE - it's your business, not theirs.
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@Kmag0003 I wouldn't be arrogant if some idiot didn't give you and me the right to vote on an issue that regards the individual's rights. This referendum is a farce and it's not David Caruana who is saying this but people like Chief Justice Bonello who was up till recent a judge in the European Court of Human Rights. However, if a referendum is what they want, I will do my duty and vote YES for those who are suffering and need a divorce law.
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@ Kmag0003 Snapshot: Saigon, Vietnam, 2009 - A dispersed group of people are lying on the pavement. Most of these people are highly deformed due to their parents' and grandparents' exposure to Agent Orange thrown by the US in the Vietnam war in the 60's. One particular man strikes me - he seems to have no bones, he looks like a blob of flesh crawling on the streets with just his head popping up from the pavement. Behind him is a majestic church with Mercedes and BMX SUVs parked in its parking lot. No one came out of that church to help, no one. The church hoards unimaginable wealth and uses only a tiny fraction of this for missionary work. You must be blind if you never noticed this.
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Vitellino, Maybe your dream comes true if you recite the rosary 153 times. Or so.
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@ David Caruana I am no part of neither movement...I will vote No after evaluating things....I am nothing but so are you sir, It was just an example Im not comparing separated people with children...please do be mature and dont try to deceive...I am voting no for the society which I will live in and have every right to do so... and please stop being arrogant...good day to you sir
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@ piccinino Id-divorzju MHUX ha jaffettwa (la ha jghin u aqqas ha jkabbar) ir-rata ta' tkissir ta' zwieg. Id-divorzju ha jkun hemm ghal min jixtieq jirregolarizza il-hajja konjugali tieghu wara li l-ewwel zwieg ikun falla. Jien ghandi domanda hafna ehfef ghalik. Jekk ghandek il-hila, urini pajjiz wiehed (imbarra l-Filippini u l-Vatikan) fejn ma hemmx ligi tad-divorzju. Nahseb li din ir-risposta, tirrispondi anke l-mistoqsija tieghek. @ Kmag0003 "a child would love to put his finger in a plug, but as adults we stop him cause obviously it would harm him" Spot on! You finally gave it out that YOU and the rest of the NO camp treat others like children. How disgusting! By comparing those who need divorce as "children" and your-holier-than-thou-self to "adults", only proves the condescending mentality of the No camp. Who the hell do you think you are, sir?!
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ahjar jibdew jizzewgu il-qassisin kattolici rumani, halli bhala kull hlejqa ohra ikunu jistghu jistriehu, mhux iduru ghat tfal
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Kemm kien pront. Kellu bzonn ikollu l-istess urgenza biex jigri wara r-Response Team tal-Kurja forsi xi darba ssir gustizzja mal-hafna vittmi tal-abbuz.
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@ David Caruana I do agree with you that their are many Rotten apples but please do see the good...The amount of mistakes that the Church has done are countless but the principle values of the Church are good...dont try to condemn these values just because the minority of people in the Church do grievous mistakes...don't try to escape the Truth by using these rotten apples as an excuse.... Karl Magro
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@ Kmag0003 NGO?! NGO my foot! "Vatican 'perplexed and amazed' as £19million money-laundering scandal is uncovered at its bank" Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1313974/Vatican-bank-perplexed-19m-money-laundering-scandal-uncovered.html#ixzz1NdK838ff We both agree that the work of some missionaries out there is valuable, but there are many rotten apples among them too. Besides the conversion agendas of some ("I feed you only if you come to church"), maybe you should take a better look at some missionary work that the church took care of: "The Cross and the Genocide The involvement of Christian societies in the Rwandan genocide" http://www.afrol.com/Countries/Rwanda/backgr_cross_genocide.htm
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«Figlie di Gerusalemme, non piangete su di me, ma piangete su voi stesse e sui vostri figli. 29 Ecco, verranno giorni nei quali si dirà: “Beate le sterili, i grembi che non hanno generato e i seni che non hanno allattato”. 30 Allora cominceranno a dire ai monti: “Cadete su di noi!”, e alle colline: “Copriteci!”. 31 Perché, se si tratta così il legno verde, che avverrà del legno secco?». 32 Insieme con lui venivano condotti a morte anche altri due, che erano malfattori.
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@ David Caruana, Remember sir that a child would love to put his finger in a plug, but as adults we stop him cause obviously it would harm him. He does not realize that it harms him...and the same in the case of divorce...In some cases divorce can help but in some cases it can cause more harm...without him/her knowing...you question will be but how can you impose on them? My question is how you can impose on our society such an irresponsible bill? How can you impose such a mentality with a bill that was made irresponsibly? On laws such that of renting laws, the discussion has been going for years with white papers being issued etc...and on divorce...a few months is just enough with irresponsible discussion from both sides....
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@ David Caruana Kull fejn daħal id-divorzju ma solva xejn. Jekk għandek il-ħila urini bil-provi pajjiż wieħed li diġa għandu d-divorzju li qal li bid-divorzju mar aħjar u solva l-problemi. Fittex kemm trid għax mhux ser issib.
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Ahjar hu minn dak il-m+++++ l-Ghawdxi. Cremona beda jahdem bhala bouncer. Rebha jew telfa ugigh ta' ras se jkollu ghax Malta kattolika spiccat wara l-lum grazzi ghal Gonzi PN (Post-natal).
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Vitellino Vitelleschi Jgħid affarijiet ċuċeski Għandu moħħ mimili daqs bajda B'ideat karnivaleski.
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@ piccinino "Ser nivvota le għax min qiegħed ibati ma rridux ibati aktar" F'liema dinja qed tghix?!?! Dawk kollha li naf li qed ibatu minhabba tkissir fiz-zwieg, kollha jixtiequ jkollhom ic-cans tad-divorzju. Anzi, qed nigdeb, naf wiehed separat li ha jivvota kontra u meta saqsejthu ghaliex, hu rrisponda bil-pulit, "mela ma nz*bbabx nivvota iva, umbaghad dik il-q*ahba tkun tista' tizzewweg lil dak iz-zibel l-ghandha" Dan wara li hu stess kien il-kagun tas-separazzjoni taghhom wara li hareg fil-pubbliku li kellhu mill-inqas tlett "girlfriends" waqt li kien mizzewweg. Logika ala piccinino insomma!
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Voi udrete, ma non comprenderete, guarderete, ma non vedrete. [15]Perché il cuore di questo popolo si è indurito, son diventati duri di orecchi, e hanno chiuso gli occhi, per non vedere con gli occhi, non sentire con gli orecchi e non intendere con il cuore e convertirsi, e io li risani.
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Why is the Archbishop standing at the door of the polling station? - Isn't that a blatant attemp to to influence voters? - Isn't that clearly against the law? - Is the Church in Malta still above the law?
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n principio era il Verbo, e il Verbo era presso Dio e il Verbo era Dio [1.2] Egli era in principio presso Dio: [1.3] tutto è stato fatto per mezzo di lui, e senza di lui niente è stato fatto di tutto ciò che esiste. [1.4] In lui era la vita e la vita era la luce degli uomini; [1.5] la luce splende nelle tenebre, ma le tenebre non l'hanno accolta.
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Ovvjament fil-kummenti ta hawn taħt tidher il-lanzita li ħafna għandhom għall-Knisja. Tbissem Eċċelenza, għax int ħarist is-sewwa u wettaqt dmirek ta' nisrani fuq il-kelma ta' Kristu. Minkejja li n-nisrani jaqlagħha mingħand ħafna, xorta jitbissem għax l-importanti hu dak li fl-għajnejn ta' kristu u mhux tal-bnedmin. Ser nivvota le għax min qiegħed ibati ma rridux ibati aktar.
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L'albero si riconosce dai frutti che produce
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.I am very happy that today all of this will end...The Church with all its mistakes is still doing great good in our country and the world...see all the orphanages, many of the foundations...all the mission work in Africa...you lot seem to forgot all this and just remember that very few church priest abused children which is very wrong and the church is taking action....Why all this anger against the church? is it because its values make you feel guilty? Do you think that the church will ever change its values cause you feel uncomfortable? The church is build of people and citizens also...it is an NGO also remember...why all these attacks against the Church? What did the Church do to you lot? Do you really believe that the Church is governing Malta? If yes please explain...Remember that PN entails demochristian values thus obviously its values will be similar to that of the church...thus since the majority of people last election chose a party with demochristian values, its quite obvious that the government will try to lead with these values....Can you once an for all just use some logic and stop attacking the Church....
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Ma nafx ezatt gara... imma jista' jkun li l-Arcisqof kien se jittiehed x'imkien biex ikun interrogat wara li allegatament ma waqqafx lid-dirigenti ta’ Radju Marija milli jiksru l-ligijiet ta' Malta tal-Corrup Practice meta lbierah komplew ixandru propaganda kontra d-dhul ta' divorzju responsabbli f'Malta kif ukoll lanqas ma fetah halqu dwar il-ksur ta' ligi mis-Socjologu Fr Joe Inquanez fuq Campus FM. Imma min-naha l-ohra jidher li kemm l-Istat (il-Gvern Malti) kif ukoll il-Pulizija jaqaw taht il-Kurja ta' Malta u pajjizna qieghed jitmexxa mill-fundamentlisti religjuzi b'disprezz lejn ic-Cittadin Malti..... miskin.
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Ivvota u itlaq 'l hemm mhux toqghod tidhak hdejn il-bieb.
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dak qieghed hemm sabiex jarawh hemm min ikun diehel jivvota,halli bil-prezenza tieghu jimmanipula., suppost tivvota u titlaq.
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Ninnota li fir-ritratt, l-Arcisqof qiegehd jitbissem. Nahseb li kien ikun aktar xieraq kieku deher jibki minhabba l-hsara li l-Kurja ,li hu imexxi, ghamlet lir-religjon u lil l-istess knisja !!!
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mela il-post tal-votazzjoni mhux biex jivvutaw qieghed!! dak x`qed jghamel hemm? tmur tivvota u dabbar rasek l`hemm.
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Mela l-Arcisqof kien wiehed minn tal-ewwel li mar jivvota biex min qieghed ibati ghax tkissirlu, jew tkissrilha, z-zwieg, JIBQA JBATI. Dik karita Kristjana !!!
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Kemm jirsistu fejn iridu. Tiskanta. Min jaf jekk kienx minn ta' l-ewwel sabiex jikkundanna lill dawk shabhu li ghamlu daqstant hsara lit-tfal. Jien ghalinqas qatt ma smajtu jlissen kelma wahda f'dan ir-rigward.
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L-importanza tas-sekularizmu! https://mazzun.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/l-importanza-tas-sekularizmu-l-ewwel-parti/