SAN SALVADOR – Four out of five Salvadorans oppose gay marriage, the daily La Prensa Grafica reported Monday, citing the results of a new poll.
El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly approved the text of a constitutional amendment in late April that would define marriage as being between a man and a woman.
The poll results show strong backing for the proposed amendment, but debate continues because the reform must still be ratified by the legislature.
The poll, conducted by La Prensa Grafica May 20-26, surveyed 1,500 people across the country.
Some 54.6 % of respondents said they “strongly opposed” legalizing same-sex marriage and 25.7% said they “opposed” such a move, for a total of just over 80% against gay marriage.
On April 30, hours before concluding its term, the outgoing Legislative Assembly approved the amendment’s text without the votes of the leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMLN.
To take effect, the amendment must be ratified by the next legislature with a minimum of 56 votes.
El Salvador’s new Legislative Assembly was sworn in May 1, with the governing Nationalist Republican Alliance, or ARENA, holding 34 seats and the FMLN 32. The rightist PCN party has 10 seats and the Christian Democrats have six seats in the legislative body, while a small center-left party has two seats.
The Legislative Assembly’s make-up could prevent ratification of the amendment, since the FMLN’s votes would be needed to hit the magic number of 56.
