880 couples divorced since law was enacted

The Maltese courts handed down a total of 880 judgements on requests for divorce, Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia said in parliament yesterday evening.

Replying to a parliamentary question raised by Nationalist MP Chris Said, Mallia said that since the introduction of the divorce legislation in October 2011, 40 cases were decided in 2011, 420 in 2012, and 334 in 2013.

Another 86 judgements were handed down in the first four months of 2014, bringing up the number of decided cases to 880.

Introduced in October 2011 via a referendum, divorce saw lobbyists and anti-divorce movements at loggerheads prior to a referendum.

Previously, Malta acknowledged divorce decrees by foreign courts, but Maltese courts could not administer and decide divorce cases.

The largest amount of divorce applications was filed in the first weeks following the introduction of divorce in Maltese legislation. Indeed, between October and December 2011, 222 divorce applications were submitted in such a short span.