Coalition for the Family

A referendum to change Romania's constitution to stop same-sex couples from securing the right to marry has failed after it did not attract enough voters to validate the result. 

The two-day vote aimed to change the constitution to define marriage strictly as between a man and a woman. 

Romanian human rights activists and some politicians cheered on Sunday night as a referendum aiming to change the constitution so that it would only allow marriage between a man and a woman has failed to overcome the 30 per cent turnout threshold.

Romanians will vote this weekend in a referendum on whether to redefine marriage in the country's constitution as the "union between a man and a woman" rather than a union "between spouses".

Romania decriminalized homosexuality in 2001, later than most neighbouring states, but same-sex marriage is still banned by law.

Romania's Constitutional Court ruled on Thursday that same-sex couples have the same equal rights to a private and family life as heterosexual couples - only a week before a referendum on prohibiting same-sex marriage is due on October 6- 7.

Rival activists are busy campaigning for an October referendum on outlawing same-sex marriage which, if it succeeds, will change the constitution to fit the socially conservative definition of the family.

The cabinet was due to convene on Tuesday to adopt a decree on organising a two-day vote, which is an unprecedented move for Romania, where polls normally take only one day.

Romanians are set to vote in a referendum next month on whether they want to change their constitution so that it bans same-sex marriage by defining a family as a "consensual union between a man and a woman".

The European Court of Justice in Brussels ruled on Tuesday that member states may not obstruct the freedom of residence of a European Union citizen by refusing to grant their same-sex spouse the right of residence.

Members of the Romanian LGBT community expressed renewed concerns over increasing harassment and intimidation after a group of Romanian right-wing activists interrupted the screening of a French AIDS activism film on Sunday evening.  

Advocate General Melchior Wathelet on Thursday asked the European Court of Justice to issue a decision telling Romania to recognise same-sex marriages made abroad.

The court is set to rule on whether Romania should allow same rights to gay couples based on European Union freedom of movement legislation.

Romania's third force, a year-old anti-corruption party called the Save Romania Union, is facing a leadership vacuum after an internal referendum over whether it should take a clear stance and vote against changing the constitution to include the conservative definition of family, as a union between a man and a woman.