GENEVA (AP) — Switzerland has voted by a wide margin to allow same-sex couples to marry, bringing the Alpine nation into line with many others in western Europe.
Official results showed that the measure passed in a referendum on Sunday with 64.1% of votes. It won a majority in all of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, or states.
Switzerland’s parliament and the governing Federal Council supported the “Marriage for All” measure last year, but opponents seeking to limit marriage unions between a man and a woman forced the referendum that was voted on, The New York Times reports.
In addition to gay marriage, the Times reports that voters approved a referendum that grants lesbian couples access to sperm banks and allows same-sex couples to adopt children.
Switzerland has authorized same-sex civil partnerships since 2007.
Most countries in Western Europe already recognize same-sex marriage, while most of those in Central and Eastern Europe don’t allow wedlock involving two men or two women.
