BUCHAREST, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Romania will hold a referendum for the redefinition of family on Oct. 6 and 7, the government spokesman Nelu Barbu announced on Tuesday.
The cabinet adopted in an extraordinary sitting the necessary legal papers for the unfolding of the referendum to amend the Constitution, Barbu told media after the extraordinary sitting.
The question the citizens will have to answer, with Yes or No, is "Do you agree with the Law for the revision of Romania's Constitution in the form adopted by Parliament?"
In the current form, the Romanian Constitution defines the family as the free-willed marriage "between spouses." However, more and more citizens want to amend it and the Coalition for Family launched an initiative in this regard in late 2015.
The initiative signed by 3 million citizens calls for a clear definition of the family concept as a voluntary union of a man and a woman, aiming thus to block any possibility of same-sex marriages in Romania.
Prime Minister Viorica Dancila stressed earlier that the referendum is not "against the sexual minorities", but "an outcome of a civic approach" and "the most adequate answer to an important topic."
According to her, the ruling Social Democratic Party supports the referendum to amend the Constitution and to redefine the family.
The Senate, as a decision-making chamber of the parliament, adopted on Sept. 11 this year the citizens' initiative which was previously passed by the Chamber of Deputies on May 9, 2017.
The amendment is supported by most politicians and the major Orthodox Church with over 85 percent adherence among the population, as well as many other religious groups in the eastern European country.
