Croatia's constitution will be amended to define marriage as only between a man and a woman — this comes after a vote on a referendum Sunday.
The final results showed 65 percent voted “yes.” As of now, Croatia’s constitution does not currently define marriage, but the country's lawmakers will add an amendment following the referendum. (Via Al Jazeera)
The majority of Croatians are Catholic, and it was a Catholic group that spearheaded the referendum effort. The Catholic Church in Croatia, along with 700,000 citizens, backed the original petition. (Via BBC)
But the 34 percent of people who opposed the ban didn’t go unheard.
In the days leading up to the vote, gay rights activist protested, arguing the change would be a set back for equality. (Via Euronews)
Among those voting "no" on the referendum was Croatia’s prime minister, Zoran Milanovic, who called the exercise “sad and pointless.” Last year he announced the expansion of rights for same-sex domestic partnerships. (Via Wikimedia Commons / Roberta F.)
As the vote took place some of the county’s main media outlets were initially banned from covering it due to what the group who headed the referendum called “biased” reporting. "The Croatian media Council condemned the move saying it is 'preposterous that in 2013 in a EU member country, journalists and media are banned because of their reporting.'" (Via Balkan Insight)
Those outlets then boycotted the move and were eventually allowed to cover the voting process for “public interest.” No date has been set on when the constitution will be amended.
