PN will vote in favour of gay marriage

The Nationalist Party has confirmed that its MPs will all be voting in favour of a bill to legalise gay marriage when it is proposed in Parliament next week.

The Marriage Equality Bill, that will also allow husbands to adopt their wives’ surnames, will be the first Bill to be debated in the House when Parliament convenes for its first sitting on Monday.

“This commitment reflects the PN’s electoral pledge to introduce same-sex marriage,” the PN said in a statement, adding that it will be proposing a number of amendments at committee stage to improve the proposed Bill.

The PN had in 2014 abstained on a bill that introduced civil unions because of its reservations on gay adoptions, but eventually came out in favour of gay marriage, with outgoing leader Simon Busuttil admitting that the decision to abstain on civil unions was a mistake.