Romania referendum: Constitutional ban on same sex-marriage fails due to low turnout
Only 20 per cent of voters participated in the referendum
Your support helps us to tell the story
Our mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.
Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.
Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.
Louise Thomas
Editor
A referendum to change Romania’s constitution to stop same-sex couples from securing the right to marry has failed after it did not attract enough voters to validate the result.
The two-day vote aimed to change the constitution to define marriage strictly as between a man and a woman.
Religiously conservative Romania, which decriminalised homosexuality in 2001 decades after neighbouring countries, bars marriage and civil partnerships for same-sex couples.
Data from the national election bureau showed voter turnout stood at 20.4 per cent when the polls closed, below the 30 per cent required for it to be valid.
Civil society group Coalition for the Family secured 3 million signatures to trigger the vote aimed at preventing gay couples winning the right to marry in the future.
The Coalition received backing from the Orthodox Church and other religions as well as all but one parliamentary party.
“Romanians rejected being divided and hating each other, it is a victory for Romanian democracy and moreover, Romanians rejected the involvement of the Orthodox Church in the state’s secular affairs,” said Vlad Viski of LGBT rights group MozaiQ.
“We believe politicians must now legalise civil partnerships for same-sex couples,” he said at a party to celebrate the outcome.
The group has encouraged people to boycott the ballot, with several companies and popular musicians and artists following. A library chain even offered a book discount over the weekend for those who wanted to stay in and read rather than vote.
Days before the vote, the government relaxed anti-fraud monitoring and limited options for challenging the result.
Romania ranks 25th out of 28 EU states based on legislation, hate speech and discrimination against LGBT people, an annual study by ILGA-Europe, an umbrella organisation advocating equality, showed.
Agencies contributed to this report
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments