BERLIN—Austria’s constitutional Court has ruled that same-sex couples will be allowed to marry by the beginning of 2019, bringing the country in line with more than a dozen other western European nations. Same-sex couples will be able to marry after that, unless the government decides to change the laws earlier. Same-sex couples in Austria, a predominantly Roman Catholic nation of some 8.7 million people, have been allowed to enter civil partnerships since 2010. Until now, however, they haven’t been able to marry. Read more: Australians in support of legalizing gay marriage in nationwide voteThe constitutional Court took up the issue following a complaint from two women who were already in a partnership but were refused permission to enter a formal marriage by authorities in Vienna.

Source: thestar December 05, 2017 15:11 UTC