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Prague: The Czech government has given its backing to a bill that would make the country the first in the old Eastern Europe bloc to allow same-sex marriage.
The Czech Republic has been allowing gay and lesbian couples to enter registered partnerships since 2006.
Czech Republic is one step ahead of neighbouring Romania, where a couple was forced to go to the EU’s top court to win the right to live together in the country despite having been married abroad.
Photo: AP
A group of 46 politicians across the floor drafted the marriage bill, arguing that gay couples deserved the option of full marital status.
An opposing bill, presented by 37 politicians, calls for a definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman to be enshrined in the constitution.
The bill allowing same-sex marriages would need only a simple majority in the 200-seat house, while the constitutional change would require 120 votes.
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