The text received 66% of votes in favor according to partial results communicated by the Cuban electoral authority.
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This is a step forward for gay rights in Cuba. The new code of the family, which includes marriage for all and surrogacy, was approved by referendum, the Cuban electoral authority announced on Monday (September 26th). The partial results giving 66% of votes in favor show a “irreversible trend” in favor of the text, said the president of the National Electoral Council, Alina Balseiro, on state television.
The text, widely supported by the government, now replaces the old family code dating from 1975. It defines marriage as the union of “two people”, thus legalizing marriage between persons of the same sex, and authorizing same-sex adoption. It strengthens the rights of children, the elderly and the disabled, and introduces the possibility of recognizing fathers and mothers other than the biological parents. Finally, it authorizes “solidarity” surrogacy, that is, without profit-making purposes. It is one of the most progressive texts in Latin America in terms of societal rights.
Some 8.4 million Cubans were called to the polls on Sunday 25 September. Lhe vote in favor of “yes” was the subject of an intense official campaign, in the streets, on television and on social networks. According to almost final results, turnout stood at 74.01%, reports the National Electoral Council.