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The Romanian Orthodox Church has supported the Constitution but opponents fear that many families will be affected
Romanians decide this weekend whether a family should be organized around a married man and woman.
The two-day vote on the change of their constitution was presented by the referendum supporters as a way to protect the status of the "traditional" family.
Opponents warn that this will be at the expense of same-sex couples, single parents and children.
And there are accusations that the whole exercise is a roundabout way of distracting from a corruption case involving the ruling party leader.
What would a vote do Yes?
Romania does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions and the referendum does not change that. Instead, it is necessary to clarify the wording of the constitution.
Article 48 says that the family "is based on the voluntary marriage of the spouses". A Yes vote would change that to "marriage between a man and a woman".
"We want to protect, at the constitutional level, the definition of marriage – between a woman and a man," said Mihai Gheorghiu, president of the pro-referendum Coalition for the Family.
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In 2016, the Coalition for the Family sent to the Senate its petition of several millions
This definition is already in the civil code, but his group wants "another level of protection" in the constitution.
Mr. Gheorghiu – a former government minister – is adamant that same-sex couples would not be losers.
"Regarding the rights and needs of LGBT people, there will be no change," he said. Homosexuality in Romania was decriminalized in 2001.
Will Romanians change?
The proposal certainly has a lot of support.
Gheorghiu's coalition has collected three million signatures to launch the process, out of a population of less than 19 million.
The Romanian Orthodox Church supports the campaign and 85% of Romanians consider themselves Orthodox Christians.
But while Romanians should vote yes, the campaign strategy for no is to boycott the vote and hope the turnout will be lower than the 30% required to be valid.
Romania has seen referendums invalidated in the past because of the low turnout. In the 2016 general election, less than 40% of voters voted.
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Yes activists have been in force in Bucharest, the capital
Voting is a battle for hearts and minds, says Katrin Hugendubel of the International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex (ILGA).
She accused the Yes campaign of framing the gay marriage vote, while "what she is really trying to do is change the definition of the family". "It's a huge attack on family rights."
Romania continues to have one of the lowest rates of LGBTI rights acceptance, she said, without legal protection for same-sex couples, in partnership or marriage, and high rates of discrimination. "homophobic and transphobic hatred" – especially in rural areas.
Who will be affected by the change?
Critics argue that defining the family on the basis of a marriage between a man and a woman would mean that constitutional protection would no longer apply to single parents, partners with children or grandparents who raise children. children.
It is not uncommon in a country where working-age parents can earn more abroad and send money home to support their families.
The Coalition for the Family says that the rights of these groups are already protected elsewhere in Romanian law.
- EU court ruled in favor of same-sex rights
"From a legislative and constitutional point of view, the situation is balanced," said Mihai Gheorghiu.
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LGBT rights groups protested proposed changes, warning that many families could be affected
Before the vote, a group of 47 MPs wrote to the Prime Minister of Romania to warn that redefining the family could harm the children of all families.
Romania's current approach to "non-traditional" family relations remains unclear.
In late September, the Constitutional Court ruled that homosexual couples should have the same rights as heterosexuals.
This decision followed a judgment in June 2018 by the European Court of Justice in favor of a Romanian man, Adrian Coman, who had married his American partner in Belgium. Her partner had been refused a spousal visa when the couple had tried to settle in Romania.
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Mr Coman won the case in the European Court of Justice after a long legal battle
Why vote now?
Many believe that the referendum was designed to deflect attention from corruption scandals, according to Professor Dennis Deletant of Georgetown University, author of several books on Romania.
"Most Romanian political elites do not seem able to respect the principles of democracy," he said, adding that the Social Democrats in power (PSD) were the subject of most criticism.
Thousands of Romanians took to the streets to protest against recent political movements seen as weakening anti-corruption powers.
And on Monday, PSD leader Liviu Dragnea will appeal the sentence to three and a half years' imprisonment in connection with a case of false jobs for party workers. Critics do not see the court appearance the day after the vote as a coincidence.
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The Orthodox Church has campaigned for a positive vote – seen here on October 4
Prof Deletant believes that an increase in the number of post-church voters could not only influence the vote but also help to increase the turnout of the required 30%.
"The urban elector realizes that it is a ploy of the PSD to maximize the turnout," he said, but beyond the big cities , Romanians are less worried.
For Gheorghiu and his coalition, all this is a source of distraction because almost all parties voted for the referendum in parliament.
"I do not think the boycott will be massive," he says.
Polling stations close at 9:00 pm Sunday (18:00 GMT) – with preliminary results later in the evening.
