Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has
vowed to campaign “strongly” for a “yes” vote in an upcoming
referendum on gay marriage.
Irish voters will decide the question
in May.
Kenny previously refused to discuss his
personal opinion on whether gays should be allowed to marry, leading
many to believe he was opposed.
“Perception is not often reality,”
Kenny, the leader of the Fine Gael party, told The
Star.
“In respect of the marriage equality
issue, I have already indicated that I expect to campaign strongly
for a yes vote on that,” he said.
“Fine Gael actually was the first
party to deal with civil registration and civil union. We have had
that for quite some time here and obviously society has changed and
equality of marriage is an issue.”
“[F]rom my point of view, I will be
very happy to campaign strongly in favor of the question,” he
added.
While a government poll released in
2013 found overwhelming support (73%) for marriage equality, some
worry complacency and low voter turnout could work against passage.