The Portuguese parliament rejected Friday a bill on the legitimation of same-sex marriage.

The Socialist Party, which has the majority seats in the parliament, announced prior to the voting that it would vote against the initiative sponsored by the Bloc of Left and the Greens.

Only two parliamentarians from the party voted in favor of the bill. Manuel Alegre, one of the two, said he decided to break the vote discipline of his party because he should be faithful to his own principles.

The conservative Social Democrat Party, the main opposition group, gave freedom to its members in the voting, but only one of them voted in favor of the bill.

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates said the issue of homosexual marriage had not been adequately discussed in the Portuguese society and thus it would not be the right time now to approve such an initiative.

(Xinhua News Agency October 11, 2008)