The tiny country of Montenegro has voted to legalize same-sex civil partnerships in a first for the Balkans region. The country, which has a population of just 622,000 is the first outside Western Europe and the European Union to provide legal recognition for same-sex couples.
The vote in the one-chamber Parliament of Montenegro saw 42 votes out of 81 members voting in favor. Just five voted against with some opponents abstaining.
It comes as Montenegro is in advanced negotiations to join the European Union. Its leaders welcomed the decision. President Milo Dukanovic tweeted: ‘[Montenegro] is one step closer to joining the most developed world democracies!