Slovenians vote on whether to uphold same-sex marriage law
- 8 years ago
Slovenians held a referendum Sunday on whether to allow same-sex marriage and become the first former communist nation in Europe to do so.
The vote was forced by conservative groups, backed by the Catholic Church, who seek to overturn a bill that defines marriage as a union between two consenting adults rather than a man and a woman.
The leftist-dominated Parliament in the small EU state passed a marriage equality amendment in March, but the "Children are At Stake" group has collected 40,000 signatures to challenge the changes before any gay couples were able to marry.
Supporters of same-sex marriage - including the left-leaning ruling coalition - have called for Slovenia to join Western European nations that have allowed more gay rights.
At least 20 percent of the country's 1.7 million voters must reject the bill for it to be overturned, which means that the outcome will also hinge on turnout.
The vote was forced by conservative groups, backed by the Catholic Church, who seek to overturn a bill that defines marriage as a union between two consenting adults rather than a man and a woman.
The leftist-dominated Parliament in the small EU state passed a marriage equality amendment in March, but the "Children are At Stake" group has collected 40,000 signatures to challenge the changes before any gay couples were able to marry.
Supporters of same-sex marriage - including the left-leaning ruling coalition - have called for Slovenia to join Western European nations that have allowed more gay rights.
At least 20 percent of the country's 1.7 million voters must reject the bill for it to be overturned, which means that the outcome will also hinge on turnout.