Good Friday Agreement Referendums of 1998

Voters in both parts of Ireland approved the peace agreement, 71.1 percent in the North and 94.4 percent in the Republic.

Overview

On May 22, 1998, the first all-island vote since 1918 asked voters in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to endorse the Belfast Agreement reached on Good Friday in April. In Northern Ireland, 71.1 percent voted yes on a turnout of about 81 percent, with strong nationalist support and a narrower majority among unionists. In the Republic, 94.4 percent approved a constitutional amendment replacing the territorial claim over Northern Ireland in Articles 2 and 3. The double mandate gave the agreement democratic legitimacy, leading to the power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly and the effective end of the Troubles.