It was a result gay rights supporters in Romania were hoping for.

On Sunday (October 07) they celebrated after a vote to change Romania's constitution to prevent same sex couples from marrying failed.

That was due to low voter turnout, meaning the the referendum could not be validated.

Just 20.4 percent of eligible voters cast their ballots, well short of the 30 percent needed.

Human rights groups had encouraged people to boycott the referendum to make it invalid.

They said if the poll was successful it would embolden further attempts to chip away at the rights of minority groups and push the country onto a populist authoritarian track.

The vote was seen as a popularity test for the ruling Social Democrat Party, which supported the change.

They've come under fire from the EU's executive for its attempts to weaken anti-corruption legislation.

In reality the result will not change much, as religiously conservative Romania already bars marriage and civil partnerships for same sex couples.