Two Albanian women have become the first couple to take part in a religious marriage ceremony. Edlira Mara and Alba Ahmetaj filed an application for legal marriage on Friday, May 17 at the municipality office.

According to the Albanian family, marriage is a union between man and woman, article 53 of the constitution on the other hand states that, ‘Everyone has the right to marry and have a family.’

On her Facebook page, Mara argued that the family Code violates the constitution, “discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and in violation of constitutional guarantees against any other couple.”

She wrote, “Our request for a declaration of marriage symbolizes the first link in a long and difficult, but above all just, struggle. We are determined to follow the legal path and respect the procedures and institutions of our country, challenging the discriminatory content of the Family Code, to seek the recognition of our right to marry, equally with every other couple in Albania,”

The application will be processed by the civil registry and decide if and when the marriage will take place. The duo took part in a religious marriage on Sunday, 19th May, on the rooftop of the Municipality of Tirana.

The couple retaliated that they settled on the location because it is “a public environment available for use by the taxpayers of the city for various events. We will be married before God and in the presence of our best friends.”

Since the couple couldn’t find a local priest to marry them, they invited two from the United Kingdom who travelled all the way for the occasion. The couple told the public to avoid perceiving the move as a provocation. They regard the move as a manifestation of their will, love and commitment after being together for 15 years.