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Switzerland confirms same-sex marriage referendum

Switzerland's same-sex marriage referendum is set to go ahead after opponents to the idea gained enough signatures to push it to a vote.

Rainbow glitter. Switzerland will hold a vote on same-sex marriage. Photo: Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash
Rainbow glitter. Switzerland will hold a vote on same-sex marriage. Photo: Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

Switzerland will hold a referendum on legalising same-sex marriage, the government confirmed Tuesday. Switzerland is one of the few remaining countries in Europe where same-sex marriage is not legal.

The Swiss parliament approved a bill in December allowing same-sex couples to marry.

However, under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, new laws can be challenged and put to a referendum if more than 50,000 valid signatures are collected within 100 days.

Opponents in the wealthy nation of 8.6 million people gathered more than 60,000 valid signatures, the government said in a statement.

The Swiss normally vote three to four times a year on a wide range of topics at the national, regional and local levels — either laws challenged by petition or proposals that have gathered enough signatures.

A date for the vote, described as the “referendum against ‘marriage for all’,” has not yet been set.

READ MORE: Switzerland to hold same-sex marriage referendum

The law’s opponents, including members of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) — the country’s biggest — and the marginal, similarly right-wing populist Federal Democratic Union, had said they would try to trigger a referendum.

The SVP said it was “intolerable to want to place marriage on an equal footing with any form of cohabitation”. Same-sex couples can register a civil partnership in Switzerland.

However, this status does not provide the same rights as marriage, including for obtaining citizenship and the joint adoption of children.

The two chambers of parliament approved the bill in December after multiple rounds of debate spanning back to 2013.

The wording of the bill allows gays and lesbians to marry and for lesbians to access sperm donations.

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SAME-SEX MARRIAGE

Same-sex couples can marry from July 1st in Switzerland

Same-sex couples will be permitted to get married in Switzerland on July 1st, 2022, nine months after a historic referendum.

Two grooms in suits with red heart balloons stand in front of a large heart which reads 'Same love, same rights' in German. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
Two grooms in suits with red heart balloons stand in front of a large heart which reads 'Same love, same rights' in German. Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

On September 26th, 2021, Switzerland voted to legalise same-sex marriage, becoming one of the last countries in western Europe to do so. 

Nine months after the vote, the “marriage for all” law will enter into force as of July 1st, 2022, the Federal Council announced.

From this date on, gay couples will be able to marry, though the preparatory procedure for marriage can be started before this date.

Same-sex couples will also be able to convert their registered partnership into marriage: a simple joint declaration to a civil status officer will suffice to convert a current partnership.

READ MORE:UPDATE: Swiss voters say big ‘yes’ to same-sex marriage

This law will be enacted after 64 percent of Swiss voters backed the move in a September 26th nationwide referendum.

Lengthy battle

Switzerland decriminalised homosexuality in 1942, but numerous local and regional police forces continued to keep “gay registers”, some into the early 1990s.

Same-sex couples can already register a civil partnership, with around 700 established each year.

However, this status does not provide the same rights as marriage, including for obtaining citizenship and the joint adoption of children.

READ MORE: ‘Deviance and morality’: The history of the same-sex marriage movement in Switzerland

After years of debate and discussion, the Swiss parliament approved a bill last December allowing same-sex couples to marry in the country of 8.6 million people.

But it was challenged under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, with opponents gathering the 50,000 signatures needed to put the issue to a referendum.

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