User:Poshyte/Sandbox7
2007 Alslandic same-sex Marriage referendum
| 2007 Alslandic same-sex Marriage referendum | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Should the United Provinces of Alsland allow marriage between same-sex couples? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location |  Alsland | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | 15 June 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Source: Alslandic Government | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Yes
No
The 2007 Alslandic Same-Sex Marriage referendum took place on 15 June 2007 in Alsland to ask the electorate whether Alsland should legalise same-sex marriages. Prior to the referendum same-sex couples were allowed to enter civil unions and foreign marriages were recognised. The government of Jabik Nieuwenhuis promised a referendum on same-sex marriage in their manifesto for the 2006 legislative election. The referendum resulted in 59.3% of votes being cast in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. The resulting Marriage Act 2007, commonely known as the Metyller Law, was passed nearly unanimously in the Folkssenaat and was signed by President Onne Monsma on 11 August 2007. The first same-sex marriage ceremony in Alsland occurred on 29 December 2007.
Background
History
Support and Opposition
Party positions
Yes Campaign
No Campaign
Public opinion
| Date | Firm | Yes | No | Undecided | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11–14 June 2007 | ANS | 55% | 42% | 3% | 1,000 |
| 2–8 June 2007 | Hjoed | 62% | 38% | - | 1,200 |
| 25–30 May 2007 | TBD | 56% | 42% | 2% | 1,200 |
| 26–29 May 2007 | Hjoed | 60% | 40% | - | 1,000 |
| 19–24 May 2007 | TBD | 54% | 46% | - | 1,730 |
| 10–14 May 2007 | JaAlslân | 59% | 39% | 2% | 1,500 |
| 2–6 May 2007 | Yndyktinkt | 66% | 30% | 4% | 1,800 |
| 15-20 April 2007 | TBD | 52% | 45% | 3% | 1,000 |
| 4-8 April 2007 | TBD | 56% | 44% | - | 1,200 |
| 25-27 March 2007 | TBD | 57% | 40% | 3% | 1,250 |
| 20-23 March 2007 | Hjoed | 60% | 40% | - | 1,500 |
Campaign
Advertising
* Dispute between Church of Delland and Yes voters over pride flag on Televyzjetoer
Abuse and vandalism
Mental health
Result
National result
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes
|
3,935,311 | 59.3 |
| No | 2,705,508 | 40.7 |
| Valid votes | 6,640,819 | 99.6 |
| Invalid or blank votes | 29,151 | 0.4 |
| Total votes | 6,669,970 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters and turnout | 7,963,944 | 83.8 |
| Yes: 3,935,311 (59.3%) |
No: 2,705,508 (40.7%) | ||
| ▲ | |||
Result by Province
| Province | Yes | No | Invalid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | ||
| Delland | 950,928 | 63.2% | 541,668 | 36% | 0.8% |
| Fawkhamshire | 378,737 | 54.8% | 310,315 | 44.9% | 0.3% |
| Garz | 580,737 | 55.4% | 480,104 | 45.8% | 0.8% |
| Hamptonshire | 591,191 | 61.2% | 364,181 | 37.7% | 1.1% |
| Martiland | 284,287 | 51.8% | 260,688 | 47.5% | 0.7% |
| Middewald | 352,279 | 65.3% | 185,040 | 34.3% | 0.4% |
| Yndyk | 378,286 | 71.3% | 149,086 | 28.1% | 0.6% |
| Zittau | 418,866 | 49.8% | 420,592 | 50% | 0.2% |
Aftermath
Marriage Act 2007
Reactions
Upon the announcement that the yes campaign had won, Premier Jabik Nieuwenhuis said "The message is clear and we as a nation have decided to agree that all humans no matter who they love deserve the same rights as everyone else. I urge both campaigns to come together and work together to pass legislation ensuring same-sex marriage is legalised." Nieuwenhuis later addressed a Yes campaign rally in Yndyk congratulating staff members involved in the campaign.
Head of the Federal Presidency Onne Monsma said "The people and voters have spoken and they have made it quite clear that they wish to legalise same-sex marriage in Alsland. I look forward to working with the legislature to deliver the results of this referendum."
Talk show host Alker Groen proposed to his partner live on air after the results were announced. Groen and his partner converted their civil union to a marriage in December 2007.
Lennard Bernauer who led the No campaign said in a television interview with ANS on the day following the referendum "I'm obviously disappointed with the result but we live in a democratic society and this was a democratic vote. But any law to legalise homosexual marriage must take into account people's religious views, we cannot force churches for example to go against church teachings and practice these acts."
Journalist Gabriel Weiskopf suggested that Zittau should refuse to practice same-sex marriages following the result. Weiskopf said "the voters in Zittau do not agree with same-sex marriage being implemented and [Jabik] Nieuwenhuis should affirm this and allow for the current practice of civil unions for same-sex couples to continue in Zittau." Minister-President of Zittau Konrad Dünhaupt said that the provincial government would respect the referendum result.
The Church of Delland acknowledged the result but reaffirmed it's position that marriage was between a man and a woman. The Reformed Church of Holsteen's Moderator said "The RKH will continue to believe that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman, any changes to the teachings of the church must be voted on by the General Assembly." The Church of Martiland and Lanekirik said "the church is deeply disappointed that the institution of marriage will no longer reflect the Sotirian interpretation that it is between a man and a woman." In 2016 the Church of Martiland and Lanekirik began allowing same-sex marriages.
Criticism
Plans to hold a referendum were criticised by several LGBT rights advocacy groups who called the decision to have the majority vote on the rights of a minority group. During initial debates on holding a referendum, Senator Emo Akkerman who is openly Bisexual said that holding a referendum could set a dangerous precedence for other countries to deny LGBT citizens their rights if a referendum is held. Akkerman voted to hold the referendum during the vote on the issue.
In 2011, Premier Jonathan Fraser criticised the move to hold a referendum saying that the process would have been much faster had the Marriage Act 2007 been voted on in the Folkssenaat where there was overwhelming support for it. Fraser was outed as Gay in 2003 and was one of the most prominent figures within the 'Yes' campaign.
Linkse
The Left De Linkse Die Linke þe Linc Vasak | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Abbreviation |
|
| President | Jabik Nieuwenhuis |
| Founder | Jabik Nieuwenhuis |
| Founded | 2022 |
| Preceded by | Workers Party Left list |
| Newspaper | The Worker |
| Youth wing | KFJS |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Left-wing |
| European Parliament group | Mixed Radical Left |
| Colours | Red |
| Folkssenaat | 12 / 231
|
| Euclean Parliament | 1 / 24
|
The Left Party (Dellish: De Linkse, Weranian: Die Linke, Swathish: þe Linc, Kirenian: Vasak) is a political party in Alsland. It was founded in March 2022 by members of the former Workers Party and Left list and defectors from the Progressive Alliance. A Socialist party, it has been described as Left-wing but claims to also represent the Centre-left. In it's political program the party claims to wish to create a Democratic Socialist society and supports the nationalisation of large businesses.
The party has representation in every provincial legislature in Alsland. It has 12 seats in the Folkssenaat and 1 seat in the Euclean Parliament. The party is the direct successor of the Workers Party. Currently 3 of it's Senators and it's 1 MEP defected or were expelled from the Progressive Alliance.
Ideology
The party supports expanding the current welfare state which it claims has been damaged from decades of mismanagement. The party contains a wide variety of ideologies, officially it adheres to a mixture of Social Democracy, Eco-socialism and Democratic Socialism although some minor groups within the party have called for the party to adopt a Left-wing populist platform. The party claims to be the one true party representing the Centre-left following what it calls the Progressive Alliance abandoning the centre-left. After it's founding the party adopted an explicitly Pro-EC position, some members have called for the party to seek membership in the Socialist Alternative for Euclea. Following it's creation the Progressive Alliance said it would attempt to block any attempts of the party to join the SAE. The party has been domestically compared to the Weranian SAPO party.
History
Formation (2022)
The party was formed in March 2022 after the Workers Party and Left list merged. At it's launch conference Jabik Nieuwenhuis was elected as it's interim leader and stated: "Our goal is to give the Alslandic centre-left and left a proper voice in the Folkssenaat that will stand up for all people." In the weeks following it's creation it was joined by 3 Senators and 1 MEP from the Progressive Alliance.