Around a third of Mitsotakis’ ruling conservative New Democracy party abstained or voted against the bill, but the legislation passed with the help of three center-left and left-wing opposition parties — a rare instance of cross-party support in the country’s parliament.
But the bill also caused ructions within progressive parties, in a sign of how divisive the legislation is in Greece. A third of the Socialist Pasok party abstained in the vote, alongside three MPs from left-wing Syriza and two from New Left.
A total of 176 MPs backed the bill in the 300-seat parliament, while 76 voted against and the rest abstained. The vote makes Greece the first Orthodox country to legalize same-sex marriage.
The legislation clears the way for same-sex couples to adopt and gives the same rights to both parents as a child’s legal guardian. But the bill still does not grant the right to surrogacy for same-sex couples.
Prominent conservatives railed against the bill. “Same-sex marriage does not constitute a human right,” ex-Prime Minister Antonis Samaras told lawmakers. “Τhe government should be careful: Overconfidence can lead it to become disconnected from reality and from the society.”
Despite significant opposition from within his own party, the move allows Mitsotakis to further encroach on the territory of centrists and liberals. It may also go some way in helping repair his government’s tarnished international image from an ongoing spying scandal and concerns over media freedom.
Last week, the European Parliament passed a resolution expressing strong concerns about systemic violations of the rule of law, media freedom and fundamental rights in Greece.
On Thursday, in an unprecedented move, Greece’s Supreme Court issued a direct reply to the resolution arguing that it was based on “vague and unsubstantiated allegations” and constitutes a “direct interference in the work of the Greek judicial authorities.”
