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Serbian Parliament Speaker Brnabić Votes for Opposition's Same-Sex Union Bill
🇷🇸 Serbia /Elections & Politics

Serbian Parliament Speaker Brnabić Votes for Opposition's Same-Sex Union Bill

From N1 Serbia · (42m ago) Serbian Mixed tone

Translated from Serbian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić voted in favor of an opposition-proposed bill to improve the rights of same-sex couples.
  • The bill, which sought to establish civil partnerships, failed to pass as only 29 MPs, including Brnabić, voted for it.
  • Opposition MP Jelena Jerinić criticized President Aleksandar Vučić for previously blocking such legislation, highlighting the legal disadvantages faced by same-sex partners in Serbia.

In a surprising move, Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabić cast her vote in support of an opposition-backed bill aimed at enhancing the rights of same-sex unions. The proposed "Civil Partnership Law," put forth by the Zeleno-levi front (ZLF) party and Ne davimo Beograd, sought to grant legal recognition and protections to same-sex couples. However, the bill ultimately failed to pass, garnering only 29 votes, including Brnabić's.

As long as I am president, I will not sign the law on same-sex communities, nor a law by which there will be some third gender by which you are neither male nor female. He further says - I am to blame that this law was not passed, attack me, do not blame Ana Brnabić, she advocates for it, I am the one who did not allow it.

— Aleksandar VučićQuoted by opposition MP Jelena Jerinić, referring to the President's previous stance on LGBTQ+ legislation.

Jelena Jerinić, an MP from the ZLF party, pointed to a 2023 statement by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, who had declared he would not sign any law concerning same-sex communities or a "third gender" while he was president. Jerinić suggested that Vučić's past stance explained the bill's failure to be included on the parliamentary agenda, implying that Brnabić's support was overridden by higher political authority. This highlights a significant disconnect between the executive and legislative branches on LGBTQ+ rights in Serbia.

It is perverse, in fact, that partners of the same sex are not allowed to enjoy their constitutionally guaranteed rights.

— Jelena JerinićExplaining the discriminatory situation for same-sex couples in Serbia.

Jerinić further elaborated on the discriminatory practices faced by same-sex partners in Serbia. She cited instances where partners are unable to identify deceased loved ones in morgues or inherit property without complex legal arrangements like lifelong maintenance contracts, which then incur taxes. This situation, she argued, effectively means Serbia is taxing individuals based on their sexual orientation, a practice that contravenes constitutional rights and basic human dignity. From a Serbian perspective, this debate is not just about legal frameworks but about fundamental human rights and the country's commitment to equality, a topic often viewed through a different lens than in Western Europe.

Serbia is practically charging these people for their sexual orientation.

— Jelena JerinićDescribing the tax implications faced by same-sex partners inheriting property.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by N1 Serbia in Serbian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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