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DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) -- The Irish have voted "yes" in a referendum on citizenship, final results showed on Sunday, giving the government a green light to crack down on immigrants it says exploit the law to get into the European Union.

Dublin says non-EU nationals come to give birth in Ireland so they can then claim residency as parents of children who automatically become Irish citizens.

In a decision sure to anger campaigners for immigrants' rights, nearly 80 percent of voters in Friday's referendum backed a government proposal to amend the rules on citizenship in the constitution.

Provisional results showed 20.9 percent opposing the proposal on a turnout of 57.4 percent.

The result means Ireland, the last country in the EU to offer citizenship automatically to all children born on its soil, is almost certain to withdraw that right later this year.

The government will now draft new citizenship legislation, expected to be approved swiftly by parliament.

The centrist administration of Prime Minister Bertie Ahern called the referendum to close "a loophole."

The vote sparked a vigorous debate about race and identity in Ireland, which until recently had one of the most homogenous populations in Europe but is rapidly evolving into a multi-cultural nation.

It also proved that immigration and race are among the most contentious issues in European politics.

The government said its proposal was modest and sensible while opponents branded it mean-spirited, misguided and based on anecdotal evidence. Some said it was racist.

"We're very disappointed," said Malachy Murphy, co-chair of the Irish Council for Civil Liberties.

The government welcomed the result of the vote, which was held alongside local and European elections in order to maximise the turnout, saying the people had given it a clear mandate to bring in new legislation.

Friday's vote tapped deep into the psyche of a people aware that over the past two centuries, millions of their compatriots have emigrated across the globe and have often been welcomed with open arms.

Now, however, the tables are turned and Ireland, with one of the fastest-growing economies and lowest unemployment rates in the EU, has become a destination of choice for immigrants.

During the referendum campaign, newspapers highlighted the cases of heavily pregnant women, many from Africa, who have arrived in Ireland just weeks before giving birth to take advantage of the law.

One senior doctor told of a woman who flew to Ireland from South Africa just 36 hours before giving birth to quads.

Statistics were hotly disputed.

The government said the number of non-nationals born in Irish hospitals has increased nearly six-fold since 1998 and now accounts for 29 percent of total hospital births.

According to one major Dublin maternity clinic, well over 80 percent of women who turned up late or unbooked to gave birth last year were foreigners.

Opponents questioned those figures.

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Should the U.S. adopt similar laws to prevent this from happening? Especially now considering the rate of unemployment we have (5.6 - 5.7% since Dec. 2003).