Colombia's Constitutional Court on Thursday rejected a lawsuit challenging the nation's marriage laws that if successful would have legalized gay marriage, Telesur reported.
The court voted 5-4 to dismiss a lawsuit brought by 2 attorneys for a change in the country's laws that would remove the definition of marriage as between a man and a woman.
The court said the request, filed in September 2009, was flawed and presented in an irregular manner.
The court's president, however, added that “nothing is final.”
“It is possible to insist on civil marriage for same sex couples in front of the court,” Judge Mauricio Gonzalez Cuervo said, “but with more detailed arguments because this issue will play a vital role within Colombia's constitution.”
Gay activists on Friday said they would protest the decision.
A recent poll found that a large percentage (63%) of residents of Bogota, the country's capital and largest city with over eight million residents, favor giving gay and lesbian couples the right to marry.
Mexico City approved Latin America's first gay marriage law in December and lawmakers in Argentina quickly followed its lead, approving the region's first nationwide gay marriage law in July.
Mexico's Supreme Court has ruled that all 30 of the country's states must recognize the gay marriages originating in its capital, in effect legalizing gay marriage recognition throughout the country.
Other Latin American countries, including Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay, are considering laws that recognize the unions of gay couples.
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