By @ladiaria Photo: Mariana Greif The pre-referendum against the Comprehensive Law for Transgender People did not obtain the required 25% of registered voters, meaning there will be no referendum to repeal the law. Ministers of the Electoral Court told several media outlets that voter turnout was lower than necessary for the referendum to take place. Former National Party candidate Carlos Iafigliola, who spearheaded the aforementioned campaign, echoed this sentiment to the press. The president of the Electoral Court, José Arocena, confirmed at a press conference that it is “highly probable” that the 25% threshold will not be reached. When asked if 8% of registered voters participated, as some media outlets had reported, he stated that he would not provide information until the Electoral Court's official figures were available. He did confirm that by 6:00 PM, between 5% and 8% of registered voters had participated.

[READ ALSO: Uruguay approved the comprehensive law for transgender people]

For his part, Iafigliola told Underlining He said that “the successful outcome was reaching the 35% threshold we needed” and added that he was “very happy” because “many people took to the streets” and the content of the law was widely disseminated. “For us, it’s a victory; we ran this campaign almost single-handedly,” he emphasized. Several trans leaders celebrated the day’s outcome in statements to the media, while the National Campaign for a Comprehensive Trans Law in Uruguay did so via Twitter: “From the National Campaign for a Comprehensive Law for Trans People, we want to express our gratitude for understanding the situation faced by trans identities due to cultural barriers. Thank you so much for understanding and being sensitive to our reality.”

From the National Campaign for a Comprehensive Law for Trans People, we want to express our gratitude for your understanding of the situation faced by trans people due to cultural barriers. Thank you so much for understanding and being sensitive to our reality. #TransLaw pic.twitter.com/CaYUhQZKKE

— LeyTransYa 💛 (@leytransya) August 4, 2019

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