The weekend vote on a constitutional amendment that would have changed the definition of family to make marriage a union between a man and a woman instead of between “spouses” required voter turnout of at least 30 percent for the result to stand. The proposed amendment would change the definition of family in Romania’s Constitution to make marriage a union between a man and a woman instead of between “spouses.”

Same-sex marriage is already illegal in Romania. A referendum aimed at putting same-sex marriage further out of reach in Romania was invalidated after too few voters cast ballots, election officials said. The revision would make it harder to legalize same-sex marriages, which already are prohibited by statute in Romania. The conservative Coalition for Family spearheaded the referendum with a signature petition, arguing that any ambiguity in the constitution needed to be eliminated. The Christian vote exists.”

Earlier in the day, the group issued a statement blaming the lack of enthusiasm among voters on what it called “a massive disinformation campaign” by the media, politicians and local governments. It alleged “a general boycott by all political parties” that was “primarily directed against the Christians of Romania.”

The coalition initiated the referendum with a signature petition. The church’s news agency said Patriarch Daniel called on Romanians who hadn’t yet cast ballots on Sunday to “vote before it’s too late.”

The referendum would amend the Romanian Constitution to define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, instead of a union between two spouses. The vote requires a 30 percent turnout to be valid. The conservative Coalition for Family initiated the referendum and Romanian Orthodox priests during Sunday services encouraged the faithful to vote. BUCHAREST, Romania — Romanians are voting for a second day on a constitutional amendment that would make it harder to legalize same-sex marriage. The conservative Coalition for Family initiated the referendum, backed by the influential Romanian Orthodox Church. Opponents say the new constitutional language could make LGBT people feel more like second-class citizens and could discriminate against non-traditional families.- Press Association
Romanians go to the polls to vote in a referendum on changing the Constitution to redefine marriage as being only between a man and a woman.