Romania votes in controversial marriage referendum
[ad_1] BUCAREST: Romania goes to the polls this weekend in a referendum on a narrow definition of marriage that the ruling Social Democrats hope will re-energise flagging grassroots support among the country's overwhelmingly Orthodox population. Nearly 19 million Romanians are entitled to vote in the plebiscite which aims to alter the wording of the constitution to define marriage explicitly as between a man and woman, rather than simply "spouses" as it has stated since 1991. "My Orthodox education and my traditional upbringing make me say 'yes'," the Social Democratic Party (PSD)'s strongman, Liviu Dragnea, said recently. It was Dragnea, 55, who led the PSD to a sweeping victory in 2016 elections. But he was unable to run for the post of prime minister due to legal troubles, including a two-year suspended prison sentence for vote-rigging in a referendum in 2016. And he is scheduled to appear in court on Monday to appeal another sentence — of thre...