Fabian Cambero

SANTIAGO (Reuters). SANTIAGO (Reuters). Chile’s Congress has passed a law to allow same-sex married couples on Tuesday. It is a landmark for South American conservative nation Chile after a decade-long legal struggle and as the country stands poised before a crucial election in the month ahead.

After the vote, Minister of Social Development Karla Rubilar stated that “Today’s a historic moment, our country approved same-sex marital, one more step in terms justice, equality, recognizing that love is love,”

Both Chile’s Senate (and the lower house) voted in favour of Tuesday’s bill. It had been approved partially in November, before being sent back by the Senate to clear up any ambiguities.

The current President Sebastian Pinera will be leaving office in March. He has supported the bill, and it is likely that he will sign it into law.

This vote is the culmination of a process which began in 2017 with the introduction of the first bill, supported by Michelle Bachelet. Chile will now join more than 20 other countries with legal same-sex marriages, such as Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.

Rolando Jimenez of Movilh LGBT Rights Group, which was one of the key backers for the bill, stated that it is difficult to believe that Chile has taken this important step. He also said that Chile had been pushing to legalize homosexual relations for over a decade.

On Dec. 19, Chile will elect its new president. The choice is between the progressive Gabriel Boric or Jose Antonio Kast (a Catholic practicing Catholic). Both offer very different perspectives on the future of Chile.

Kast doesn’t agree with the same-sex marriage but he has stated that he would have signed it into law regardless of whether Congress passed it during his potential presidency.

Chile’s conservative past has been evident even when compared to its more Catholic Latin American counterparts. A strong majority of Chileans support the same-sex marriage, and Chileans show signs of being left in recent years on social and cultural matters.

Chile has allowed civil unions since 2015. This gives same-sex partners the opportunity to enjoy many, but not all, of the marital benefits, such as the right for adoption.

This law will take effect in 90 days from the publication of it in the Official Gazette. Rights groups cheered and married supporters.

Isabel Amor (executive director, equality group Iguales) stated that “This is reason for Chilean society celebrate.”

“People who are in a same-sex relationships will be allowed to get married, and hundreds of adolescents will receive recognition for their mothers and fathers.”