Maltese citizens will finally be able to divorce in their own country after lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to allow it Monday, ending sharp debate on the issue in this heavily Catholic island nation.

The law takes effect in October, after Malta's president is expected to sign it.

Malta was the only European Union nation without divorce legislation. Up to now, Maltese citizens could only obtain divorce abroad. In the last 30 years, 785 Maltese couples divorced this way, with numbers gradually rising from seven in 1981 to 47 in 2010.

Parliament acted Monday after nearly 53 percent of voters said "yes" to divorce in a referendum on 28 May. The vote was a blow to the ruling Nationalist Party, which had opposed divorce ahead of the referendum.

The bill was approved in its entirety Monday during the last stage of the parliamentary process. The vote was passed with 52 votes in favor, 11 against and five abstentions, while one MP was absent, a crushing result considering that most laws in Malta are passed by just one vote. Nineteen Nationalist MPs approved the legislation, going against their party's official stand.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi once again voted against the bill, sticking to his conviction that the introduction of divorce legislation will weaken the family structure. Gonzi had also voted "no" on an earlier vote 13 July, leading the opposition Labour Party to call for his resignation on grounds he was not respecting the people's will.