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Representatives of the LGBT community in the Chilean Senate in Valparaiso
Photo: RODRIGO GARRIDO / REUTERS
In Chile, marriages of people of the same sex are allowed.
After decades of struggle, the Chamber of Deputies approved the law.
82 parliamentarians voted for same-sex marriage, 20 against and two abstained.
Since 2015, homosexuals in Chile have only been able to enter into a registered civil partnership.
In Latin America, same-sex marriages are already possible in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Uruguay and parts of Mexico.
"Hard to believe"
Chile has long been considered ultra-conservative, even compared to other South American countries.
Nevertheless, a large majority of Chileans now support same-sex marriage, reports the AP news agency.
"It's hard to believe we're taking this step today," said Rolando Jimenez of the Movement for Integration and Homosexual Liberation (Movilh), one of the main proponents of the bill and at the fore in Chilean efforts for more than a decade the legalization of same-sex marriage is in place.
The movement called for a victory celebration in the center of the capital, Santiago de Chile.
"A historic day"
“Today is a historic day because our country has recognized same-sex marriage.
This is a further step towards justice, equality and recognition that love is love, «said the Minister for Social Development, Karla Rubilar, after the vote.
A new president will be elected in Chile on December 19.
The options are the left-wing former student leader Gabriel Boric and the socially conservative right-wing populist Jose Antonio Kast, a practicing Catholic.
Kast, the son of German immigrants and father of nine children, is a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage.
col / dpa / AP