Romanian marriage redefinition referendum voided due to low turn-out
262 views · Published 13 October 2018 · 4:03 · Indexed 7 October 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(8 Oct 2018) A referendum held in Romania on the definition of marriage has been invalidated as not enough people cast ballots, rendering the vote void. Election officials said just 20.41 percent of eligible voters participated in the weekend referendum, which needed at least 30 percent turnout to be valid. The failed amendment would have changed the definition of family in Romania's Constitution to make it a union between a man and a woman instead of between "spouses." The Central Electoral Commission said on Monday near-final results showed 91.61 percent of those who voted approved the amendment to change the definition. Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Romania and a constitutional amendment would have made it harder to legalise. The Romanian Orthodox Church supported the constitutional revision but opponents had encouraged voters to boycott the referendum. LGBT activist, Florin Buhuceanu, told The Associated Press that the referendum boycott was a "victory for the whole country", and brought Romania closer to a "European context based on rights and freedoms for everybody." Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/e34937112e11910b256ce49a1befd62a
