Croatians amend constitution to prevent same-sex marriage
Croatia, 4 December 2013: By a 65%-34% margin, voters in Croatia have approved a constitutional
amendment to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman, according to wire
service reports.
Should Croatia constitutionally ban gay marriage? That is
the question being answered by voters on Sunday in a controversial referendum spearheaded
by a Catholic group. Parliament had to call the referendum after the Catholic group
– “In the Name of the Family” -gathered more than 740,000 signatures in support of
the vote.
It wants marriage formally defined as a union between a man and a
woman. President Ivo Josipovic and Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic both opposed the
amendment. His centre-left government wants a bill allowing gay couples to register
their partnerships to be adopted within two weeks.
“This is the last referendum
that gives a chance to the majority to strip a minority of its rights,” said Milanovic,
a proponent of same-sex unions. The nation of 4.5 million is 89% Catholic, 4%
Orthodox, and 1% Muslim.Source: CWN