Germany’s parliament on Friday approved same-sex marriage legislation, becoming the fourteenth country in Europe to do so.
The proposal was overwhelmingly approved by lawmakers after Chancellor Angela Merkel opened the way for a free vote. The move meant her Christian Democrat lawmakers were not forced to follow the party line.
The legislation was approved by 393 votes to 226, with four abstentions.
Merkel herself voted against the measure but said she hoped the result would further strengthen social harmony in Germany.
More than 70 lawmakers from her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage, while a majority voted against.
Merkel’s CDU, which enjoys a large majority in parliament, had long resisted legalizing same-sex marriage, but voiced support for other steps to end discrimination against same-sex couples.
However, in a surprise move on Monday -- weeks ahead of a general election scheduled for Sept. 24 -- Merkel announced that lawmakers should be able to decide on same-sex marriage based on their personal views, rather than following party directions.
The German leader's rival Social Democrats and other opposition parties had made same-sex marriage one of their central themes during previous election campaigning.
According to a poll carried out by YouGov this month, 66 percent of Germans backed legalizing same-sex marriage, with 26 percent opposed.