GERMANY: Court Rejects Bid To Force Marriage Vote

The Associated Press reports:

Germany’s highest court has rejected an opposition party’s attempt to force a parliamentary vote on introducing gay marriage before September’s national election.

The opposition Greens and Left Party, as well as parliament’s upper house, have proposed legislation legalizing same-sex marriage. The governing coalition is divided on the issue and the lower house’s legal affairs committee has repeatedly delayed dealing with it.

The Federal Constitutional Court said Tuesday it rejected the Greens’ application for an injunction ordering the committee to send the bills to lawmakers for a vote in parliament’s last pre-election session June 30.

Earlier this week Germany’s Green Party declared marriage equality to be a condition of joining a coalition government following the election.