French Prime Minister says government will introduce marriage bill in October

August 27, 2012

Jean-Marc Ayrault, the Prime Minister of France, announced this weekend that his government will introduce a bill to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage in France, to the Parliament this fall.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Ayrault made the announcement to members of his party, the Socialist Party. He said:

"In October, we will send a bill to the National Assembly and the Senate to allow same-sex couples to marry." 

The announcement comes two months after Ayrault explained that the French government was making the development of a successful marriage bill "an objective," a goal that French President Francois Hollande has trumped throughout his campaign for the presidency. Same-sex couples in France can currently enter into "civil partnerships," which provide some - but not all - of the protections that marriage affords. 

If the legislation is approved by the left-leaning National Assembly and Senate, as experts expect, France would become the twelfth country where same-sex couples can marry nationwide. Read more about the freedom to marry in the international sphere HERE.