However, and despite having a majority in Senate, Frente Amplio MPs decided to postpone the voting to April, arguing that they preferred the bill wasn´t passed only with votes from the leading party.

The decision was supported by all Frente Amplio MPs, except Daniel Martínez (Partido Socialista), Constanza Moreira (Espacio 609), Alberto Couriel (Espacio 609), Eduardo Lorier (Partido Comunista) and Luis Rosadilla (Corriente de Acción y Pensamiento-Libertad). Meanwhile, opposition senators said they needed more time to study the bill.

The different social organizations who have worked on the issue for several years, showed their outrage by protesting outsider the Civil Register Office, with banners reading: “All persons are equal before the law, Uruguay continues to violate the Constitution".

And they expressed their position in terms of the need to pass this bill, that consolidates, at least in this respect, the equality of rights for all citizens of the country.

The spokesperson of social organization Ovejas Negras, Federico Graña, made reference to the fact that this issue has been under discussion for over two years, and therefore “lack of time” is not a serious argument for the postponement. He added: “people got scared”, in reference to the Frente Amplio MPs who supported the postponement.

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