Parliament OKs civil marriage for same-sex couples

The Greek Parliament has voted a bill legalizing same-sex marriage by a wide margin.

The bill in its entirety was approved 176-76 in the 300-member assembly late Thursday, with 2 MPs voting "present." A total of 46 abstained.

There were also separate votes for each article, with many getting as many as 199 positive votes.

The announcement of the result was greeted by sustained applause.

Greece becomes the first Christian Orthodox country to vote a similar bill. It is also the 16th EU member, out of 27, and 37th globally.

The bill allows same-sex couples to marry in a civil marriage. "Cohabitation contract" unions had been legalized in December 2015.