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A referendum intended to strengthen a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage and adoption in socially conservative Slovakia fell flat Feb. 7 with low turnout.
Results showed voter turnout in the ex-communist EU country at 21 percent, well short of the 50 percent threshold required for the ballot to be valid. But 95 percent of those who did vote backed a 2014 constitutional amendment which defines marriage as a union of man and wife -- effectively banning same-sex unions and adoption. The ban remains intact.
While conservatives pitched their campaign as "say 'yes' for the family", gay rights advocates encouraged people to vote with their feet by boycotting it. "I'm happy that the referendum isn't valid but I'm worried that the general election next year will be an occasion of a new wave of anti-gay sentiment," said Bratislava art gallery owner Andrea Pallang, 40, who has been living with her girlfriend for eight years.
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/slo...&NewsCatID=351
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