The German Bundestag approved the law on "marriage for everybody" on Friday, which gives full recognition to same-sex marriages in Germany. The law should be approved by the Bundesrat and signed by German President soon, reported by The ABC News.

393 deputies voted for it, 226 voted against, and four abstained. Same-sex marriage is legal in about ten European countries, including Britain, France, and Spain. Earlier, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the vote is a "question of conscience."

As a result, 75 deputies from the multi-party alliance of the parties, the Christian Democratic Union and the Christian Social Union, voted in favor of the law.

In spite of the fact that they traditionally opposed the recognition of same-sex marriage, that time they supported it, including the head of the Chancellery, Peter Altmeier, and the Minister of Defense, Ursula von der Leyen.

Merkel's position

Merkel herself stated that she voted against the bill since marriage is a union of a man and a woman in her submission. The Chancellor expressed her hope that the decision of the Bundestag would add some "peace and unity" in the life of German society.

On the air of TV channel N24, Merkel said that the vote in the Bundestag was preceded by "a long, intense and very emotional discussion."According to previous sociological surveys, more than 80% of German citizens spoke in support of same-sex marriages, and Merkel's statement was perceived as part of the electoral program, aimed at obtaining votes from citizens with non-traditional sexual orientation.

Bill's history

Homosexual couples in Germany can formalize their relationship since 2001 only in the so-called "registered civil partnership."Since January 1, 2005, same-sex couples, involved in such a partnership, have received a limited right to adopt children if there was a blood relationship between the child and one of the parents.

In 2013, the Constitutional Court ruled that adoption could apply to non-offspring adopted by one of the parents

The issue of full equalization of same-sex marriages with unions between heterosexual couples was raised in the Bundestag several times. The bill approved on Friday was submitted to the Bundesrat (the federal council, which includes representatives of the governments of 16 regions of Germany) in November 2015 by the parties "The Left" and "The Green".

Since then, about 30 attempts have been made to approve it, but each time the initiative was rejected by a majority of votes. As a result, the bill was included in the agenda of the last plenary session of the Bundestag of this convocation on Friday with the votes of the Left, the Green and the Social Democratic Party of Germany.

Despite the fact that the decision of the Bundestag was greeted by applause and tears of the delight of some deputies and invited guests, a number of politicians expressed a lack of understanding and even protest in connection with the adoption of the law.