Oct 06, 2007Quickie Link: Opposition in Sweden Demands Equal Marriage Legislation
By vanrozenheim
(Sweden) - The three opposition parties are piling pressure on the government to table a bill establishing gender-neutral marriage. The leaders of the Social Democrat, Left and Green parties submitted a motion to parliament on Friday demanding that gay marriage legislation is passed by 18th March. A clear majority in parliament is in favour of gender-neutral marriage, with only one party - the Christian Democrats, one of the four governing parties - against. Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt is a strong proponent of gay marriage, but the government cannot put forward a bill as long as the Christian Democrats block the idea. "It is absurd for the Christian Democrats to get a veto," said Mona Sahlin on Friday.
