Almost two-thirds of Switzerland's voters backed the government's plan to introduce same-sex marriage in a referendum held Sept. 26, with campaigners calling it a historic day for gay rights in Switzerland, Yahoo! News reported, citing AFP.
With results in from 20 of the Alpine nation's 23 cantons, 64 percent of voters backed the move.
Fifty-two percent of eligible voters took part.
Switzerland was one of the last countries in western Europe where same-sex marriage remained illegal. The country has authorized same-sex civil partnerships since 2007.
After years of debate and discussion, the Swiss parliament approved a bill last December that permitted same-sex couples to marry in the country of 8.6 million people. However, it was challenged under Switzerland's direct democracy system, with opponents gathering the 50,000 signatures needed to put the issue to a referendum.