France's National Assembly has approved a law allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt children.
The "Marriage for All" bill was backed by President Francois Hollande's Socialists and other left-wing MPs and after days of intense debate, the bill was passed by 329 votes to 229.
The Bill must now win final approval in the Senate. The Senate - which is also dominated by the Socialists and their allies - is thought likely to back the measure, which will become law by May or June 2013.
France would then join 11 other countries where same-sex marriage is legal.
The marriage law is seen as France's most important social reform in France since the abolition of the death penalty in 1981
Opinion polls suggest that around 55-60% of French people support gay marriage, though only about 50% approve of gay adoption.
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