German lawmakers voted by a wide margin to legalize same-sex marriage Friday, a landmark decision which came just days after Chancellor Angela Merkel dropped her longstanding opposition to a free vote on the issue.
The bill gives homosexual couples in Germany the same rights as heterosexual couples, and will allow same-sex couples to marry and jointly adopt children. It passed by 393 votes to 226, with four abstentions.
The bill is likely to pass through the Bundesrat — Germany’s upper house — next week. The Bundesrat has previously approved legalizing same-sex marriage.
Once it has been officially signed into law, Germany will enter the club of more than 20 countries where same-sex marriage is legal.
Two-thirds of Germans said they were in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage in a recent YouGov poll.
Speaking after the vote, Merkel said she had voted no on the issue, but that it had been important to put the question to a vote of conscience.
“For me and the basic law, it’s about the marriage of a woman and a man. That’s why I voted against it,” she said, adding that it had been an emotional matter for her personally.
She added: “I hope that the vote today shows not only the mutual respect for different opinions but that this also leads to more peace and social cohesion as well.
Martin Schulz, leader of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) — the second largest party in parliament — tweeted following the vote that “progress is possible” and said he was “happy for all the married couples to-be.”
A ‘vote of conscience’
The vote caps a turbulent week in German politics. Facing pressure on the issue from the leaders of other political parties, Merkel announced Monday that she would like to see parliament move towards a “vote of conscience” on same-sex marriage, kicking off a chain of events that culminated in Friday’s vote.
The Chancellor made the comment at an event in Berlin hosted by women’s magazine Brigitte, where she was asked by a gay man in the audience whether he would be able to refer to his partner as “my husband.”
Merkel responded by acknowledging the widespread support for gay marriage among German voters and suggesting a free vote in parliament, meaning lawmakers vote freely rather than being asked to support their parties’ official positions.
Her comments represented a significant shift for the German leader and for her conservative party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which has long opposed same-sex marriage and promoted “traditional” family values.
Merkel under pressure
But with September’s election looming, Merkel has come under increasing pressure, with her main rivals and potential coalition partners announcing support for “Ehe für alle” (marriage for all).
The left-leaning Green party and the centrist FDP had both said that they would not enter into any coalition deal with Merkel if “Ehe für alle” was not enshrined in it. The left-leaning Die Linke party has long supported full equality.
Following the Chancellor’s comments Monday, Schulz seized on the moment, tweeting “We will push through marriage equality in Germany. This week.”
Friday was the last chance for parliament to vote on the issue before it breaks for the summer recess and election campaigning begins in earnest.