Switzerland voted by a wide margin in a referendum on Sunday to allow same-sex couples to marry, joining the Alpine nation with several others in Western Europe.
Official results showed that the measure passed in favor of 64.1 percent of the electorate and secured a majority in all 26 cantons, or states, of Switzerland.
The Parliament of Switzerland and the Governing Federal Council supported marriage by all means. Switzerland has authorized gay civil partnerships since 2007.
Supporters said the route would put same-sex partners on equal legal footing with heterosexual couples, allowing them to adopt children together and facilitate citizenship for same-sex spouses. It would also allow gay couples to access regulated sperm donation.
Opponents believe that replacing civil partnerships with full marriage rights would undermine families based on a union between one man and one woman.
Voter Anna Limgruber on Sunday at a polling station in Geneva said she cast her vote for No Camp because she believed children would need a father and a mother.
But Nicolas Dzierlatka, who voted yes, said that children need love.
I think what is important for children is that they are loved and respected and I think there are children who are not respected or loved in so-called ‘hetero’ couples, he said.
The campaign is replete with allegations of unfair tactics, opposition parties condemning the tearing down of posters, a flood of LGBT hotline complaints, hostile emails, insults against campaigners and attempts to silence opposing views.
Switzerland, which has a population of 8.5 million, is traditionally conservative and only extended the right to vote to all its women in 1990.
Most countries in Western Europe already recognize same-sex marriage, while most countries in Central and Eastern Europe do not allow marriages involving two men or two women.
Proponents say marriage for same-sex couples can still take months, mainly because of administrative and legislative processes.
Also on Sunday, voters rejected a proposal led by left-wing groups in Switzerland to raise taxes on returns from investments and capital, such as dividends or income from rental properties, to ensure better redistribution and fair taxation.
The results showed that a country known for its vibrant financial sector and relatively low taxes and as a haven for many of the world’s richest people voted 64.9 percent against it. None of the cantons voted in favor.
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