Nationalist MP and divorce campaigner Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is looking forward to formally ending his marriage, when the courts start receiving applications on October 1.

“I will not elbow my way through to be the first, but I will definitely be applying for divorce,” said Dr Pullicino Orlando, who is currently still married to Labour MP Marlene Pullicino, despite years of separation.

His comments come at the end of the final week in the year-long divorce saga, which began on July 7, 2010 when Dr Pullicino Orlando surprised everyone by presenting a draft divorce Bill to Parliament.

With that move he kickstarted a national discussion whichculminated in a referendum in May followed by a parliamentary process to perfect the Billthat was earlier co-presented together with Labour MPEvarist Bartolo.

After being approved in Parliament, President George Abela signed the Bill last Friday – the last step in the process to make it law.

The next two months will give the government time to set up the administrative mechanisms necessary for people to begin applying for divorce. During the referendum campaign, Dr Pullicino Orlando had said if divorce was not approved he would seek one from the UK, which would then be recognised in Malta.

The argument that divorce was already available to Maltesewho had the means to get it from abroad was a key point of thereferendum campaign.

Asked for his final comments, he described the past year asa “very positive exercise in democracy.

“The referendum campaign was amazingly hard. I’ve been campaigning for years in local and general elections, but this was tough... facing the might of the Church, the Nationalist Party and the central administration, with their unlimited funds. It was tough and tiring, but I’m very satisfied.”