BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage after a short but emotional debate, bringing the country in line with many of its Western peers. Though Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the measure, she paved the way for its passage by freeing other members of her party to vote their “conscience.”

Lawmakers voted 393 for legalizing “marriage for everybody” and 226 against, with four abstentions.

Merkel said Monday that lawmakers could take up the issue as a “question of conscience,” allowing members of her conservative coalition, which has been against same-sex marriage, to individually vote for it.

That prompted her center-left rivals to quickly call for a snap vote on the issue, adding it to the agenda Friday on parliament’s last regular session before Sept. 24 elections.

While some in Merkel’s conservative bloc spoke against the measure, Berlin Christian Democrat Jan-Marco Luczak urged his fellow party members to vote for same-sex marriage.

“It would be absurd to try and protect marriage by preventing people to marry,” he told lawmakers.

Many applauded Merkel’s comments that opened the way for the vote, but Social Democrat lawmaker Johannes Kahrs noted in the debate that the chancellor had been a longtime opponent of gay marriage.

“Many thanks for nothing,” he said bluntly.

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001, but has not granted them full marital rights, which include the possibility to jointly adopt children.

The new law won’t take effect for several months because it still needs to pass the upper house of Parliament and be approved by the president, though those are formalities. It is also expected to face legal challenges.

Merkel told reporters after the vote that her vote against the measure was based upon her reading of the country’s law concerning marriage and that she did think gay couples should be able to adopt.

Germany’s basic law is vague, saying only that “marriage and the family shall enjoy the protection of the state,” but Merkel said that for her “marriage as defined by the law is the marriage of a man and a woman.”

She added, however, that she stood by her contention that the interpretation was a “question of conscience” and urged all views to be respected.

“It was a long, intensive, and for many also emotional discussion, that goes for me personally too, and I’m hopeful not only that there will be respect for either side’s opinions, but that it will also bring about more peace and cohesion in society,” she said.

It is not clear whether Merkel thought her Monday comments would prompt such a quick vote, but many analysts have suggested that by opening the door to gay marriage the chancellor removed yet another issue that might have helped her opponents in their campaigns against her.

In nearly 12 years as chancellor, Merkel has moved her party to the center and away from conservative orthodoxy, speeding up Germany’s exit from nuclear power and ending military conscription among other moves.</s>Germany legalized same-sex marriage Friday despite the personal objections of Chancellor Angela Merkel, as the nation joined many other western democracies in granting gay and lesbian couples full rights including adoption.

The election-year bill was pushed by Merkel's leftist rivals, who pounced on comments she made early this week suggesting a policy U-turn -- a maneuver that left her conservative lawmakers fuming.

Merkel allowed MPs of her Christian Democratic Party (CDU) to vote their conscience on the bill rather than follow the party line, which has for years been to oppose the reform.

The gay marriage law passed by a margin of 393 to 226 on the parliament's last day before the summer recess -- a moment jubilant supporters celebrated by throwing confetti in the Bundestag.

The reform reflects German public opinion, with polls showing three-quarters support granting full marriage rights to same-sex couples, who have since 2001 been allowed to live in so-called civil unions.

But Merkel said she had voted against the legalization out of her personal conviction.

"To me, marriage as defined in the German constitution means the marriage between husband and wife, and that is why I voted against the law today," she said.

She did however say that her thinking had changed on the question of child adoption by same-sex couples, which she long opposed.

"I have thought a lot about the matter of child welfare and have now... have come to the conviction that same-sex couples should be able to jointly adopt children," she said.

The German legal code will change to say "marriage is entered into for life by two people of different or the same sex."

The upper house has already approved the measure, which is expected to enter into force before the end of the year.

Renate Kuenast of the Greens party, which has pushed for decades for LGBT rights, quipped cheerfully: "I would advise all registry offices in the country to boost staff numbers."

"Germany voted for love," said the Lesbian and Gay Federation in Germany, celebrating the "historic day... for a more just and democratic society."

"It's a real recognition, so it warms the heart," said French engineer Christophe Tetu, 46, who lives in Berlin with his partner Timo Strobel, 51.

"We're thinking about having a party, getting married and using our new rights to protect our relationship," he told AFP.

Strobel said he too was "overjoyed" that the couple would be able to show family and friends "that we are committed to each other, that we will stay together and we will spend our lives together."

The rapid series of events kicked off with an on-stage interview Merkel gave Monday to women's magazine Brigitte, in which an audience member asked her: "When can I call my boyfriend my husband if I want to marry him?"

Merkel, who had long opposed gay marriage with adoption rights, replied that she had changed her mind after meeting a lesbian couple who lovingly cared for eight foster children.

She said she favored an eventual vote when all lawmakers could follow their conscience rather than a party line.

Many read the surprising comments as a move to rob opposition parties of a key campaign issue before September 24 elections.

Merkel's current coalition partners, the Social Democrats (SPD), had declared a gay marriage law a red-line demand and precondition for any future alliance -- as had the Greens, the far-left Linke and the pro-business Free Democrats.

On Tuesday, after much buzz on social media, the SPD leader and candidate for the chancellory Martin Schulz took Merkel at her word and broke coalition ranks to call for an immediate vote.

The CDU slammed the tactic as a "breach of trust" after four years of joint rule with the SPD.

During Friday's emotional parliamentary debate, one SPD lawmaker angrily criticized Merkel, accusing her of "pathetic and embarrassing" meandering on the issue.

"Mrs Merkel, thanks for nothing!" said Johannes Kahrs, charging that she had blocked progress on gay and lesbian rights for years.

He characterized her Monday-night comments as a "Schabowski moment" -- a reference to the communist East German official Guenter Schabowski, whose fumbling comments at a 1989 press conference sparked the mass rush to border crossings that brought down the Berlin Wall.</s>BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage after a short but emotional debate, bringing the country in line with many of its Western peers. Though Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the measure, she paved the way for its passage by freeing other members of her party to vote their “conscience.”

Lawmakers voted 393 for legalizing “marriage for everybody” and 226 against, with four abstentions.

Merkel said Monday that lawmakers could take up the issue as a “question of conscience,” allowing members of her conservative coalition, which has been against same-sex marriage, to individually vote for it.

That prompted her center-left rivals to quickly call for a snap vote on the issue, adding it to the agenda Friday on parliament’s last regular session before Sept. 24 elections.

While some in Merkel’s conservative bloc spoke against the measure, Berlin Christian Democrat Jan-Marco Luczak urged his fellow party members to vote for same-sex marriage.

“It would be absurd to try and protect marriage by preventing people to marry,” he told lawmakers.

Many applauded Merkel’s comments that opened the way for the vote, but Social Democrat lawmaker Johannes Kahrs noted in the debate that the chancellor had been a longtime opponent of gay marriage.

“Many thanks for nothing,” he said bluntly.

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001, but has not granted them full marital rights, which include the possibility to jointly adopt children.

The new law won’t take effect for several months because it still needs to pass the upper house of Parliament and be approved by the president, though those are formalities. It is also expected to face legal challenges.

Merkel told reporters after the vote that her vote against the measure was based upon her reading of the country’s law concerning marriage and that she did think gay couples should be able to adopt.

Germany’s basic law is vague, saying only that “marriage and the family shall enjoy the protection of the state,” but Merkel said that for her “marriage as defined by the law is the marriage of a man and a woman.”

She added, however, that she stood by her contention that the interpretation was a “question of conscience” and urged all views to be respected.

“It was a long, intensive, and for many also emotional discussion, that goes for me personally too, and I’m hopeful not only that there will be respect for either side’s opinions, but that it will also bring about more peace and cohesion in society,” she said.

All of Merkel’s potential coalition partners after the September election, including the center-left Social Democrats of her challenger, Martin Schulz, have been calling for same-sex marriage to be legalized.

It is not clear whether Merkel thought her Monday comments would prompt such a quick vote, but many analysts have suggested that by opening the door to gay marriage the chancellor removed yet another issue that might have helped her opponents in their campaigns against her.

In nearly 12 years as chancellor, Merkel has moved her party to the center and away from conservative orthodoxy, speeding up Germany’s exit from nuclear power and ending military conscription among other moves.

Never miss another Facebook post from WISH-TV</s>BERLIN (AP) - Chancellor Angela Merkel has dominated German politics for over a decade thanks to a combination of flexibility, tactical savvy and luck - and she looks likely to benefit from Germany's legalization of gay marriage as she seeks a fourth term in September.

Those qualities helped enable parliament's lightning-fast vote Friday to legalize gay marriage. Though Merkel herself probably didn't intend for it to happen so quickly and voted against the measure, it dispatched the issue before election campaigning really started.

The chancellor, a longtime though apparently lukewarm skeptic on same-sex marriage, set the ball rolling Monday for the stunningly fast decision by declaring the issue a matter of "conscience." That meant her conservative lawmakers wouldn't have to follow a party line and could vote however they wanted.

Her center-left challenger in Germany's Sept. 24 election, Martin Schulz of the Social Democrats, took the chance to seize the limelight and force a long-standing demand though the outgoing parliament on its last day. The Social Democrats have been struggling to dent Merkel's double-digit poll lead.

But that allowed Merkel to defuse an awkward issue - gay marriage is popular with German voters - without actually nailing her colors to the cause of "marriage for everybody," which could have annoyed her conservative base.

In nearly 12 years in power, Merkel has been relentless in throwing conservative orthodoxy overboard as public opinion evolves. She now has one issue fewer to worry about without having invested significant political capital.

Same-sex couples in Germany have been able to enter civil partnerships since a center-left government allowed that in 2001. While other Western European countries since legalized full marriage, there was little movement in Germany, largely due to resistance from Merkel's conservative Union bloc.

Merkel has showed an ability to shift positions from the start. In 2005, after barely squeaking through an election she was expected to win easily, she dropped talk of far-reaching economic reforms at home.

Since then, she has dropped military conscription, introduced benefits encouraging fathers to look after their young children and abruptly accelerated the shutdown of Germany's nuclear power plants following Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011.

Those switches, not always popular in conservative ranks, have deprived rivals on the left of rallying themes and allowed Merkel's party to occupy center ground.

She has also distanced herself from U.S. President Donald Trump, who is very unpopular in Germany, by suggesting that Europe can no longer entirely rely on the U.S. - cutting off another potential line of attack for her rivals.

The 62-year-old chancellor, a Protestant pastor's daughter, has never looked comfortable discussing gay marriage and has said relatively little about the matter.

Merkel voted Friday against legalizing gay marriage but said she's fine with full adoption rights for same-sex couples. She said she believes the German constitution views marriage as being between a man and a woman.

Recent polls show large majorities in Germany in favor of legalizing gay marriage. All three of Merkel's potential coalition partners in the next government were demanding it: Schulz's Social Democrats, who are her current partners in an awkward "grand coalition" of rivals; the pro-business but socially liberal Free Democrats; and the traditionally left-leaning Greens.

Merkel faced the prospect of having to commit her conservatives to gay marriage to get a coalition deal this fall. With only a quarter of her caucus backing its legalization Friday, that might have been tough.

On Monday, at a discussion organized by the women's magazine Brigitte, Merkel was challenged by a man asking "When can I call my boyfriend my husband?"

She replied that she preferred to view it as a "decision of conscience rather than me pushing something through by majority vote." She added that "the decision will have to be made some time."

That signaled Merkel was backing off the conservatives' long-standing refusal to budge.

Schulz leapt on the about-turn and pushed for a vote this week on a nearly four-year-old bill. Due to timing, that carried little immediate political risk. An open rift earlier might have brought down Merkel's coalition government, but Friday was the outgoing parliament's last session before the September vote.

In fact, the vote Friday offered both sides an opportunity to highlight their differences after four fractious years of governing together. Schulz joined two left-leaning opposition parties to force Friday's vote, so the conservatives can hope to scare voters with the notion of a left-wing government including the Left Party, which has communist roots.

The nationalist Alternative for Germany, which hopes to enter parliament for the first time in September, still opposes same-sex marriage but the issue hardly seems likely to rally voters behind it.

A popular satirical program, public broadcaster ZDF's Heute Show, summed up Merkel's flexibility and longevity with a backhanded compliment Friday on Twitter.

"Merkel votes against 'marriage for everybody.' Shame. But she has another eight terms as chancellor to think about it," it wrote.</s>The German parliament voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, joining many other western European nations and the United States in implementing equal rights.

The move could spur other European countries where same-sex marriage is not recognized to follow suit.

Lawmakers voted 393 for same-sex marriage and 226 against it. There were four abstentions.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the measure. "For me marriage as defined by the law is the marriage of a man and a woman," she said.

But she paved the way for the vote after saying on Monday that lawmakers could take up the issue as a "question of conscience," freeing members of her ruling Christian Democratic Party to vote in favor.

The gay marriage bill, a last-minute addition in parliament's last session before the summer break, was backed by almost every party in the lower house.

There are several central and eastern European countries – including Austria, the Czech Republic and Italy – where only civil partnerships are open to gay couples, rather than marriage.

Germany currently recognizes civil partnerships for same-sex couples, which guarantees most of the benefits as married heterosexual couples.

Merkel's Christian Democrats, and their Bavarian allies, the Christian Social Union (CSU), have long opposed gay marriage. Their platform centers on "family values," and same-sex marriage was a red line for the party's conservative wing.

Germany holds national elections in September, and legalizing same-sex marriage could benefit Merkel and those running for parliament. Two-thirds of Germans support marriage for all, according to a YouGov poll in May.

"This gives unity and the right and freedom in Germany now for all those who love each other," Merkel's main political rival Martin Schulz of the Social Democratic Party said Friday reacting to the decision.

Christian Democrat Jan-Marco Luczak added: “It would be absurd to try and protect marriage by preventing people to marry.”</s>BERLIN (AP) — German lawmakers voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage after a short but emotional debate, bringing the country in line with many of its Western peers. Though Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the measure, she paved the way for its passage by freeing other members of her party to vote their “conscience.”

Lawmakers voted 393 for legalizing “marriage for everybody” and 226 against, with four abstentions.

Merkel said Monday that lawmakers could take up the issue as a “question of conscience,” allowing members of her conservative coalition, which has been against same-sex marriage, to individually vote for it.

That prompted her center-left rivals to quickly call for a snap vote on the issue, adding it to the agenda Friday on parliament’s last regular session before Sept. 24 elections.

While some in Merkel’s conservative bloc spoke against the measure, Berlin Christian Democrat Jan-Marco Luczak urged his fellow party members to vote for same-sex marriage.

“It would be absurd to try and protect marriage by preventing people to marry,” he told lawmakers.

Many applauded Merkel’s comments that opened the way for the vote, but Social Democrat lawmaker Johannes Kahrs noted in the debate that the chancellor had been a longtime opponent of gay marriage.

“Many thanks for nothing,” he said bluntly.

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001, but has not granted them full marital rights, which include the possibility to jointly adopt children.

The new law won’t take effect for several months because it still needs to pass the upper house of Parliament and be approved by the president, though those are formalities. It is also expected to face legal challenges.

Merkel told reporters after the vote that her vote against the measure was based upon her reading of the country’s law concerning marriage and that she did think gay couples should be able to adopt.

Germany’s basic law is vague, saying only that “marriage and the family shall enjoy the protection of the state,” but Merkel said that for her “marriage as defined by the law is the marriage of a man and a woman.”

She added, however, that she stood by her contention that the interpretation was a “question of conscience” and urged all views to be respected.

“It was a long, intensive, and for many also emotional discussion, that goes for me personally too, and I’m hopeful not only that there will be respect for either side’s opinions, but that it will also bring about more peace and cohesion in society,” she said.

All of Merkel’s potential coalition partners after the September election, including the center-left Social Democrats of her challenger, Martin Schulz, have been calling for same-sex marriage to be legalized.

It is not clear whether Merkel thought her Monday comments would prompt such a quick vote, but many analysts have suggested that by opening the door to gay marriage the chancellor removed yet another issue that might have helped her opponents in their campaigns against her.

In nearly 12 years as chancellor, Merkel has moved her party to the center and away from conservative orthodoxy, speeding up Germany’s exit from nuclear power and ending military conscription among other moves.</s>Angela Merkel has voted against same-sex marriage in Germany because she believes that “marriage is between a man and woman”.

Despite her opposition, the Bundestag voted to legalise equal marriage by 393 votes to 226, and the Chancellor said she hoped the move would improve social cohension.

“For me, marriage in German law is marriage between a man and a woman and that is why I did not vote in favour of this bill today,” she told reporters moments after the historic vote.

“I hope that the vote today not only promotes respect between different opinions but also brings more social cohesion and peace.”

The Chancellor said she supported the bill’s introduction of full adoption rights for same-sex couples – a move she had previously opposed – and was fighting anti-LGBT discrimination.

Ms Merkel had freed her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU/CSU) from the party whip on the issue, calling for a “vote of conscience”.

The centre-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is governing in a coalition with the CDU/CSU, read the statement as permission to launch the snap vote.

It was called by under an amendment entitled “marriage for all”, which was already guaranteed a majority in the Bundestag with the combined support of the SPD, the Left party and Greens.

Johannes Kahrs, an SPD politician known for his LGBT campaigning, launched a blistering attack on Ms Merkel over “embarrassing” delays to the legislation.

He finished his impassioned speech with: “Frau Merkel, thanks for nothing.”

But political analysts said that despite condemnation from critics over her no vote, Ms Merkel had trodden a careful line on same-sex marriage just three months before national elections.

While endearing herself to right-wing voters on a personal level, she ultimately allowed the vote to happen by freeing the SPD from their obligation as a coalition partner not to put the bill forward.

The Chancellor had previously accused the SPD of “ambushing” her by bringing forward the vote.

“It's sad and completely unnecessary...that such a decision has turned into a political confrontation at the very moment when there was a realistic outlook for a process that could have crossed party lines,” Ms Merkel told Wirtschaftswoche magazine earlier in the week.

“Every member of parliament should be able to follow their conscience.”

The issue has divided her party, which remains the largest in the German parliament and has enjoyed comfortable poll leads and local election victories ahead of September’s federal elections.

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001, but same-sex marriages remain illegal.

The draft law legalising same-sex marriage, which was first moved in 2015 in the upper house of parliament by the state of Rhineland Palatinate, will be signed into law by the President after 7 July.</s>German lawmakers are one step closer to legalizing gay marriage. Parliament voted to allow it after only a short debate. The decision came after Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly eased her parties stance on same-sex marriage.

The new legislation gives gay couples in Germany full marital rights and allows them to adopt children. Germany joins more than a dozen other European nations that have legalized same-sex unions.

After the 393 to 226 vote, Merkel announced that she believes marriage is between a man and a woman, but she hopes the decision will lead to "social cohesion and peace."

According to a recent survey taken by a German government agency, 83 percent of Germans are in favor of marriage equality.

The measure now goes to the upper house of Parliament for formal approval and then requires the signature of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Once signed into law, Germany's first same-sex marriages will be on track to be celebrated in the early fall, according to The New York Times.</s>German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned today against protectionism and isolationism at a time when the world faces global challenges such as climate change and the threat of terrorism. “Those who think that the problems of this world can be solved with isolationism or protectionism are terribly wrong,” she told the German parliament ahead of the July 7-8 Group of 20 summit. She acknowledged that even within export powerhouse Germany, there are anti-globalisation voices and critics against free-trade agreements.

“But protectionism isn’t the answer,” she said, adding that at the G20 summit in the northern city of Hamburg, Germany’s biggest port, she would be seeking a “clear signal for open markets and against sealing off”.

Merkel’s stance on trade sets her on a collision course with US President Donald Trump, who has championed an “America First” policy and whose administration refused to sign up to an anti-protectionist pledge at a G20 finance ministers’ meeting in March.</s>YOU JUST SAW:

PHOTO: German Chancellor Angela Merkel prepares to cast her vote during the voting for the legalization of the same-sex marriage in the German Parliament (Bundestag), in Berlin, June 30, 2017.
The Bundestag votes to introduce same-sex marriage in Germany. With 393 votes in favor and 226 against, including Chancellor Angela Merkel, the law is expected to enter into force before the end of the year.