The ruling Social Democratic Party in Romania intends to organize a referendum this autumn to limit the constitutional definition of the family. This would effectively exclude the possibility of legalizing same-sex marriages, party leader Liviu Dragnea said, quoted by Reuters.

The referendum plan emerged after the Family Coalition, a non-governmental organization, collected 3 million signatures last year in favor of changing the constitutional definition of marriage as a union between a man and a woman rather than "spouses" as it is now. Under Romanian law, the constitution may be changed upon a proposal by the President, the government, a quarter of all MPs or at least 500,000 citizens. Parliament must approve any change that will then be voted in a referendum.

"Our intention is to end the organization of the referendum to change the constitution on the issue of the family this fall", Dragnea said at a party meeting in a Black Sea resort.

Few politicians openly support gay marriages or civil partnerships in the conservative Eastern European country of 20 million people in which the Orthodox Church has a great influence, the agency notes. Among the exceptions are the centrist President Klaus Joachim, who has said he supports tolerance and openness to others, which are different, rejecting religious fanaticism and ultimatums.