A majority of Angela Merkel’s party in Berlin still opposes gay marriage
A majority of Berlin members of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) are still opposed to same-sex marriage, it was announced on Friday.
A poll took place of the Berlin faction of the CDU, which found that 45 percent of members were opposed to same-sex marriage, with 35 percent in support.
The newspaper Tagesspiegel reported on the poll, and that the result had come as a shock to those who wished to sway the Chancellor’s conservative views on same-sex marriage.
The Chancellor last week said that while she agrees same-sex couples should get marital benefits, she does not believe same-sex unions should be called marriage.
This latest survey was conducted over the past three weeks, and simply asked whether members would support same-sex marriage.
Just under half of the party’s 12,500 members in Berlin sent in their votes, reports the Local.
While German same-sex couples can currently enter into a registered life partnership in Germany, civil unions, same-sex marriage and adoption are not currently legal.