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A landslide victory for Yes, far beyond any expectation

Inside Politics: The margin of the result will mean few TDs will oppose the legislation

Repeal supporters at Dublin’s RDS wait for the start of the count. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Pat Leahy's face
Pat Leahy
Sat May 26 2018 - 11:41

Counting of votes in the abortion referendum is well under way throughout the country, with the early tallies confirming the astonishing news broken by The Irish Times last night when we published our exit poll in the moments after the polls closed.

The story of that poll is here, with analysis from Fiach Kelly and Kieran O'Leary of pollsters Ipsos MRBI.

It was a landslide victory for the Yes side, far beyond anything the opinion polls forecast and the most optimistic of campaigners dared hope. Even throughout the day, desperate Yes campaigners urged people to get out and vote, reminding them that every vote matters, reminding them of the 1995 divorce referendum when a single vote in every ballot box was the difference between defeat and victory.

But Ireland is a changed country since 1995. We knew that before today. But now we know that the change in public attitudes extends to the hot button issue of abortion, long an area that Ireland by its laws marked itself out as different.

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Throughout the weekend and on Monday, Irish Times writers will take stock of that change, what it means, how it came about and what comes next.

Here's Miriam Lord's take this morning.

The overwhelming margin of the vote will have one obvious consequence: the Government’s legislation, based on the all-party committee’s recommendations, will sail through the Dáil and Seanad. That is still likely to be in the autumn. There will be calls for it today to be done by the summer, but the Government’s view is that this would not be logistically feasible. September is more likely. But when it does come, such is the margin of the victory and the clearly expressed will of the electorate, that few TDs will oppose it.

Expect Fianna Fáil TDs who opposed the referendum to start saying that today.

Our referendum live blog continues today , and our reporters will have the story from each count centre, culminating in the official announcement of the result from Dublin Castle expected late afternoon.

You canlisten to a podcast discussing the results of the exit poll after they came in last night.

It’ll be a busy day, and an historic one.

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