BELGRADE, Serbia

In a 7-1 decision, Slovenia’s Constitutional Court on Thursday upheld parliament blocking a referendum on same-sex marriage and the adoption of children by same-sex couples.

In a statement, the court said the referendum was unacceptable and unconstitutional.

The parliament “decided that the referendum on same-sex marriage was unacceptable. We evaluated this decision in line with the application we received. Seven members approved the decision of the assembly, and one expressed a dissenting opinion,'' said the statement.

''It is legally acceptable in this country to marry two people of different sexes. It is illegal for same-sex partners to form a formal partnership, nor can they adopt children,'' it added.

After parliament last October voted down holding a referendum on marriage equality, a non-governmental organization applied to the Constitutional Court to overrule the decision.