In a major change of party policy, Angela Merkel said on Monday that the issue of legalising same-sex marriage in Germany should be treated as a “question of conscience”. Previously, Ms Merkel’s party, the Christian Democrats had insisted on opposition to same-sex marriage as a matter of party policy to which all members had to adhere. This change opens the possibility of a vote on the issue as soon as this Friday as most other parties in the Bundestag already favour same-sex marriage.
