Registered Partnership in Finland - Same-sex Marriage

Same-sex Marriage

A December 2006 EU poll put Finnish support for same-sex marriage at 45%, while an August 2010 survey conducted by Finnish Broadcasting Company YLE, put the Finnish support for gay marriage at 54%, with 35% of Finns opposing it.

A poll conducted by Christian newspaper Kotimaa reported in March 2010 that a narrow majority of Finnish MPs opposed same-sex marriage. Of the 126 MPs who responded asked if they would support a gender-neutral marriage law 46% were in favour and 54% were opposed. 63% of Social Democratic representatives supported gay marriage as well all MPs from the Greens and Left Alliance. Majorities of the Centre Party and National Coalition Party opposed gender-neutral marriage law.

However, a later survey in April 2010 by Helsingin Sanomat reported that there was cross-party support for gender-neutral marriage law and joint adoption rights. The National Coalition Party's secretary Taru Tujunen stated that an initiative would be put forward at the next party congress on gender-neutral marriage. In the June 2010 party congress, the NCP delegates voted in favor of a gender-neutral marriage law, though the vice-chairman of NCP parliament group Ben Zyskowicz does not believe a same-sex marriage bill will be approved by the NCP during the upcoming four years, basing his view on the fact that majority of the current NCP MPs are against it. Two weeks earlier the Social Democrats passed a measure in favor of same-sex marriage on their party congress. Left Alliance and Green League also support it. Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, who held a speech at the opening ceremony of Helsinki Pride week on 28 June 2010, said he demands a gender-neutral marriage law with full adoption rights for gay couples.

On 2 July 2010, Minister of Justice Tuija Brax announced that the Ministry of Justice is preparing a reform of the Marriage Act in the autumn of 2011. It was considered possible that same-sex marriage would be legalized after the 2011 parliamentary elections, where it was speculated to turn into one major theme, though in the August 2010 survey, only 20% of the respondents said the issue should be a major theme. According to the voting advice application of Helsingin Sanomat, 90 MPs of the current 200-seat Parliament elected in April 2011 supported the inclusion of external adoption in same-sex couples' rights, while 93 MPs opposed it. As a result of the Christian Democratic participation in the new government, a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was not included in the government platform. However, according to the Left Alliance, it was agreed upon during the talks on government formation that, if proposed by an individual MP, such bill would be endorsed by all the six parties except for the Christian Democrats (the National Coalition, Social Democrats, Left Alliance, Green League and Swedish People's Party). The legislative proposal was presented on 29 September 2011.

On 21 March 2012 the bill to legalize same-sex marriage was submitted to the country's parliament. Currently, 76 out of 200 MPs had signed their support for the draft bill, although many others are expected to vote for it, including Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen.