House voting on same-sex marriage bill on Thursday

The Parliament will vote on the same-sex marriage bill on Thursday night, with ruling New Democracy, main opposition SYRIZA and PASOK, Course of Freedom and New Left having stated that they will back it.

However, the bill has caused a stir within the parliamentary groups of the respective parties. For the ruling conservatives, the matter is more or less settled. The number of MPs declaring themselves in favor of the bill up until Wednesday was 105, a number that is likely to increase by Wednesday evening, reaching around 110, which means around two thirds of the ND parliamentary group is on board, contrary to initial expectations.

However, the bill is said to be causing turmoil within PASOK and SYRIZA – both self-declared progressive parties – with the possibility that several lawmakers will abstain from voting.

For his part, Archbishop Ieronymos who is opposed to the bill has called for a roll call vote.