This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Ireland has voted to ease restrictions on divorce by an overwhelming majority, continuing the country’s social liberalisation.

Voters approved a constitutional referendum by 1,384,192 yes votes (82.1%) to 302,319 no votes (17.9%), one of the largest referendum margins in the country’s history, it was announced on Sunday.

All 31 constituencies endorsed the change in a turnout of 50.89% in Friday’s poll, which also included local and European elections.

Green party candidates surged in early local election results, which surprised the party and its rivals. The taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, said the public had sent a “clear message” to the government to act faster on climate change.

The referendum proposed amending two articles in the constitution to facilitate recognition of foreign divorces and to reduce the amount of time couples needed to live apart from four years to two before qualifying for divorce.

Campaigners said the liberalisation would reduce the financial and emotional cost of divorce.

“This was not about rocking the system, it was about humanising the system,” said Josepha Madigan, the culture minister, who led the government’s referendum campaign.

Charlie Flanagan, the justice and equality minister, welcomed the fact that the Oireachtas – the legislature – could now tweak divorce rules. “Over time, it has become very clear that complex questions of social policy are best dealt with through detailed legislation in the Oireachtas.”

The south Dublin constituency of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown had the highest yes vote, 86.7%. The lowest yes vote, in Monaghan bordering Northern Ireland, was still emphatic: 75.04%.

Ireland, once a bastion of conservative Catholicism, voted last year to legalise abortion and voted in 2015 to legalise same-sex marriage.

In the local election, Green party candidates won more than 7% of first preference votes – a rebound from obliteration in the last election five years ago – and topped the polls in many constituencies, catching analysts and other parties off guard. The Greens may win up to 100 of the 949 seats.

The party benefited from mounting concern over climate change and biodiversity loss and recent protests led by young people.

Fianna Fáil, a centrist opposition party, was on track to remain the biggest party in local government, followed by Fine Gael, the ruling party, led by Varadkar.

The biggest loser from the green wave appeared to be Sinn Féin, which was on course to lose council seats across Ireland.

European election results were due to be announced later on Sunday and Monday.