The justice minister forwarded the decision on Tuesday after he had received it from the Lebanese Supreme Council of the Judiciary the day before, the National News Agency reported.
The judicial council on Monday evening approved the motion to legalize civil marriage, a measure that allows for the consideration of the marital status of Lebanese couples married in the country regardless of their religious affiliation.
According to the NNA the details of the council decision include allowing notaries public to conduct and confirm civil marriage ceremonies and allowing couples to choose the type of civil marriage contract that best suits their needs.
The council also announced that there is nothing inhibiting the registration of Kholoud Succariyeh’s marriage to Nidal Darwish, who with the support of a civil society activist became the first couple to be wed by way of a civil marriage in Lebanon.
Earlier in January, NOW had reported on Succariyeh and Darwish’s marriage, which prompted several political and religious leaders to voice their opinion on the matter.
Lebanese President Michel Suleiman publicly stated his support for civil marriage a day after the Sunni Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammad Rashid Qabbani issued a fatwa that sought to prevent secular unions from taking place.
Despite a long-running campaign by civil society advocacy groups, civil marriage has no legal standing in Lebanon, a country of around four million people whose population belong to 18 different religious communities.
