Poland's conservative President Karol Nawrocki on Friday vetoed a bill from Prime Minister Donald Tusk's centrist government that would legalise civil partnerships.
The bill, which was first introduced to parliament in December last year, aimed to give unmarried partners certain rights, including same-sex couples.
Poland is, along with Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia, one of the last countries in Europe that has not legalised either same-sex marriage or civil partnerships.
"As the guardian of the constitution, I cannot accept a solution that would lead to the loss of the special status of marriage, a marriage defined as a union between a woman and a man," Karol Nawrocki said in a statement.
