Merkel hints at same-sex marriage vote in Germany
27 Jun 2017 3:29 PM GMT
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said MPs should be allowed a free vote in Parliament on legalising same-sex marriage, signalling a change in her conservative party's opposition to the issue.
Speaking at an event organised by the magazine Brigitte on Monday, Merkel said she felt aggrieved that the same-sex marriage debate was mainly carried out along party lines and that she hoped it would be "headed towards a conscience vote", the Guardian reported.
Her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party had previously opposed it in line with "traditional" family values, unlike the opposition Social Democrats, Free Democrats and Greens.
She said same-sex marriage was "a really personal matter", so she wanted the CDU and its Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), "to react differently to this question". "It should not be politicised," she said.
Many of Germany's EU partners have legalised gay marriage, notably the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain and Britain, BBC reported.
The Lesben-und Schwulenverband, Germany's biggest LGBT campaigning group, welcomed Merkel's response.
"The LSVD welcomes the fact that after 15 years of an ideological blockade, Merkel and the CDU are ready to make some progress on the issue of same-sex marriage," the statement said.
Following Merkel's comments, German politicians on Twitter called for a vote to be held as soon as possible.
Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) -- the second largest party in Parliament -- announced he will be calling for a vote in the next few days.
Many social media users welcomed Schulz's call for a vote. But some expressed frustration that Merkel is taking action only after 12 years in power and see her announcement as no more than a "political tactic".
With September's parliamentary election looming, Merkel has come under increasing pressure on the issue.
In the past two weeks her main rivals and potential coalition partners have all come out in support of "Ehe fur alle" (marriage for all).
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