1998 Irish constitutional referendums

Two referendums were held together in the Republic of Ireland on 22 May 1998, each on a proposed amendment of the Irish constitution. Both measures were approved. A referendum in Northern Ireland was also held on the same day. The total number of people who voted (both countries) was 2,499,078.

Eighteenth amendment

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The Eighteenth Amendment introduced two new articles into the constitution which allowed the government to ratify the Amsterdam Treaty.

Eighteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland referendum[1]
Choice Votes %
  Yes 932,632 61.74
No 578,070 38.26
Valid votes 1,510,702 97.85
Invalid or blank votes 33,228 2.15
Total votes 1,543,930 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 2,747,088 56.20

Nineteenth amendment

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The Nineteenth Amendment to the constitution allowed the government to ratify the Good Friday Agreement signed in Belfast on 10 April 1998, which included changing articles 2 and 3 of the Irish constitution which effectively claimed Irish sovereignty over Northern Ireland. The agreement was also endorsed in the simultaneous referendum in Northern Ireland. Articles 2 and 3 were subsequently changed in December 1999, and the territorial claim was replaced with an aspiration for a united Ireland to be achieved "by peaceful means with the consent of a majority of the people, democratically expressed, in both jurisdictions in the island".

Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution of Ireland referendum[1]
Choice Votes %
  Yes 1,442,583 94.39
No 85,748 5.61
Valid votes 1,528,331 98.90
Invalid or blank votes 17,064 1.10
Total votes 1,545,395 100.00
Registered voters/turnout 2,747,088 56.26

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Referendum Results" (PDF). Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2014. Retrieved 14 August 2014.