Switzerland will hold a national vote on whether to keep a 2020 law allowing same-sex couples to marry, the country's Federal Chancellery said.
The court ruled Tuesday that opponents of the law had gathered enough valid signatures -- 61,027 -- to put the issue to a national referendum.
Switzerland's parliament approved a bill on Friday allowing same-sex couples to marry, finally bringing the small Alpine nation into line with much of Europe on gay rights https://t.co/inc9IpEFpW pic.twitter.com/zLZZIvlSjF
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) December 18, 2020
Critics of the law -- mostly the conservative Federal Democratic Union of Switzerland Party and the Swiss People's Party -- had to collect at least 50,000 valid signatures within 100 days of the official publication of the act to veto it.
Opponents delivered the signatures in mid-March. Supporters, meanwhile, submitted their own petition with 107,000 signatures to keep the law, Swiss newspaper Tribune de Geneve reported.
Switzerland is set to hold a referendum on marriage equality after approving a bill in December allowing same-sex couples to wed. https://t.co/Kv0YokODLZ
— SBS News (@SBSNews) April 28, 2021
The Swiss Parliament voted in December to allow same-sex marriage.
The court will set a date in May for the vote, which cannot be held prior to September, The Guardian reported.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
