Parliament set to pass same-sex marriage bill

Parliament is poised to vote the same-sex marriage bill, with the help of three center-left and left-wing opposition parties.

Passage of the bill will bestow full parental rights upon same-sex couples, although it would not allow male partners to have children born in Greece through surrogacy.

Interest is focused on how many MPs from the ruling center-right New Democracy, center-left PASOK and left-wing, main opposition SYRIZA will vote against the bill, or abstain.

New Democracy MP and former Prime Minister (2012-15) Antonis Samaras forcefully proclaimed his intention to vote against, arguing that the bill would significantly alter family law and that same-sex marriage “does not constitute a human right.”

Three small far-rights and the Communist Party also oppose the bill.

Same-sex couples are already recognized through a “cohabitation contract” since December 2015 by the then-SYRIZA-led government.