THE FIRST official results in the Abortion Referendum have ended with convincing Yes victories.
The first constituency to finish counting was Galway East, where 60.2 per cent of people voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment.
The result was revealed at around 1.15pm this afternoon.
Voter turnout was an impressive 63.5 per cent, with 17.546 votes cast.
The announcement was followed shortly after by an even more convincing result from the Dublin Central constituency.
While turnout was a more moderate 51.5 per cent, the Yes vote received a 76.5 per cent share of the vote.
The third constituency to declare was Cork South-Central, where 68.8 per cent voted Yes on a turnout of 66.7 per cent.
Cork North Central followed, with 64 per cent also backing a repeal of the Eighth Amendment.
The results mirror those from exit polls released after voting closed, which projected a landslide Yes victory.
Campaign groups opposed to the repeal of the amendment had already appeared to concede defeat in the wake of the exit polls.
In the event of a Yes vote, the Government will introduce legislation permitting unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks.
A result is expected late in the afternoon, with crowds already beginning to gather at Dublin Castle, where the official result will be announced late this afternoon.
