“Express divorce” up 157 percent in Palma

PARTNERS of marriages in crisis are opting for the so-called “express divorce” in Palma to dissolve their marriages.
Because of this, separations, with or without consent, are becoming rarer. This is shown by comparing divorce and separation figures for the first six months of this year with the figures for the same period last year. The figures show the effect of the reforms of the Civil Code and the Civil Law, which came into force on July 3 2005, on divorces and separations. The reform popularly known as “express divorce” gave partners the chance to divorce without going through a separation. Separations with consent have gone down from 428 in June 2005 to 81 in 2006 (minus 81 percent), while separations without consent have gone from 130 in 2005 to just 10 in 2006 (minus 92 percent). On the other hand, divorces with consent have risen from 348 in 2005 to 896 in 2006 (+157 percent), and those without consent from 160 in 2005 to 389 in 2006 (+135 percent). According to specialists, there are two main reasons for this change in the way divorces are handled, time and money. Family lawyer Consuelo Pou explained that if they opt for a separation, the partners have to wait two years before they can divorce. Now, after the changes to the divorce laws last year, the marriage can be dissolved in just three months. The lawyer added that the economic factor also has a bearing, as before divorce was very costly. “Once the changes to the divorce laws were passed, men and women could marry and divorce up to three times a year”, explained Pou. He also said that, in divorce or separation proceedings, “it is enough to have a simple complaint to pass the case to the family court for Violence Against Women”.