Europe

Estonia becomes first ex-Soviet state to vote to legalise same-sex marriage

Country’s president Alar Karis is expected to approve the legislation

Lawmakers approved the marriage-equality law after the Estonian government called a series of confidence votes to break a stand-off with the opposition . Picture: Getty

Estonia’s parliament approved same-sex marriage, overcoming opposition led by the far-right to make the Baltic nation the first former Soviet republic to legalise such partnerships.

Lawmakers approved the marriage-equality law after Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s ruling coalition called a series of confidence votes to break a stand-off with the opposition. The blockade was led by the ultranationalist EKRE party, which attacked the legislation as anathema to the traditional family model.

President Alar Karis is expected ...