The 2015 Slovenian Same-Sex Marriage Referendum is scheduled to be held on Sunday Dec 20,2015
On March 03,2015 the National Assembly passed a bill to amend the Marriage and Family Relations Act to the effect that same-sex couples could get married, after which opponents gathered enough signatures to force a referendum.
On March 26,2015, the National Assembly voted to block the referendum on the ground that it would violate the constitutional provision which prohibits popular votes on laws eliminating an unconstitutionality in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms
The proponents of a referendum appealed to the Constitutional Court, which on October 22,2015 declared that the National Assembly does not have the ability to declare a referendum unconstitutional
The National Assembly thus on November 04,2015scheduled a referendum to be held on Dec 20,2015
A minimum of 343,104 voters (which makes up 20% of about 1.7 million registered voters) are required to cast a valid "no" vote for the result of the referendum to be valid
Almost two-thirds of voters said no to a bill that defined marriage as a union between two consenting adults.
Parliament passed a law giving marriage equality in March, but opponents challenged it before any gay couples could marry.
Conservatives were especially opposed to allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.
"This result presents a victory for our children," said Ales Primc from the group Children Are At Stake.
The result demonstrates a cultural split in the EU, where western member states are granting greater rights to gay people but newer central and eastern member states are resisting such moves.
Slovenia's conservatives were backed by Pope Francis, who called on the mainly Catholic country to "back the family as the structural reference point for the life of society".
But MPs from the United Left party, which initially proposed the change in the law, said the result was a temporary setback.
"It's not over yet. Sooner or later the law will be accepted," said United Left MP Violeta Tomic.
Slovenia is considered to be among the more liberal former communist countries but gay rights remain a contentious issue there.
In 2012, voters rejected granting more rights to gay couples in a referendum
On March 03,2015 the National Assembly passed a bill to amend the Marriage and Family Relations Act to the effect that same-sex couples could get married, after which opponents gathered enough signatures to force a referendum.
On March 26,2015, the National Assembly voted to block the referendum on the ground that it would violate the constitutional provision which prohibits popular votes on laws eliminating an unconstitutionality in the field of human rights and fundamental freedoms
The proponents of a referendum appealed to the Constitutional Court, which on October 22,2015 declared that the National Assembly does not have the ability to declare a referendum unconstitutional
The National Assembly thus on November 04,2015scheduled a referendum to be held on Dec 20,2015
A minimum of 343,104 voters (which makes up 20% of about 1.7 million registered voters) are required to cast a valid "no" vote for the result of the referendum to be valid
Under Slovenian law, if a group can gather 40k signatures
on a petition within a month, they can seek a referendum on new
legislation.
If more than 20% of the electorate take part and deliver a majority vote against the law, it will be scrappedSlovenia Rejects Gay Marriage in Referendum
Slovenians have rejected same-sex marriage by a large margin in a referendum.
Almost two-thirds of voters said no to a bill that defined marriage as a union between two consenting adults.
Parliament passed a law giving marriage equality in March, but opponents challenged it before any gay couples could marry.
Conservatives were especially opposed to allowing same-sex couples to adopt children.
"This result presents a victory for our children," said Ales Primc from the group Children Are At Stake.
The result demonstrates a cultural split in the EU, where western member states are granting greater rights to gay people but newer central and eastern member states are resisting such moves.
Slovenia's conservatives were backed by Pope Francis, who called on the mainly Catholic country to "back the family as the structural reference point for the life of society".
But MPs from the United Left party, which initially proposed the change in the law, said the result was a temporary setback.
"It's not over yet. Sooner or later the law will be accepted," said United Left MP Violeta Tomic.
Slovenia is considered to be among the more liberal former communist countries but gay rights remain a contentious issue there.
In 2012, voters rejected granting more rights to gay couples in a referendum
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