Romanian Anti-same-sex Marriage Referendum Collapses Due to Low Voter Turnout

Bucharest [Romania], Oct 8 (ANI): The two-day voting in Romania to declare same-sex marriage as unconstitutional collapsed as it failed to meet the minimum 30 per cent voter turnout.

According to figures from Romania's national election bureau, only 20.4 per cent Romanians turned up for the voting, Al Jazeera reported.

The Romanian Orthodox Church and conservative organizations, which had called for the referendum, issued a statement, indirectly accepting defeat. They blamed political parties for their "general boycott" of the referendum for the low turnout.

Romanian Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila said, "I voted for the values in which I believe. It is our civic duty to express our views."

Currently, marriage is gender neutral in the Balkan country and is defined as a union between two "spouses." However, conservative groups wanted to amend its definition to a union between a man and a woman.

Same-sex marriage in Romania was decriminalised in 2001. (ANI)

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