While the larger parties are mainly competing for votes of more mainstream centrists, the True Finns and the Christian Democrats are pushing more traditional values of home, religion and country.

The controversy over same-sex marriage is becoming an election issue.

“We did not raise gender-neutral marriage to the status of an election issue. The Greens did that by calling for including it in the government policy programme. Our goal is to prevent it in the next elections,” says Christian Democratic Party Chair Päivi Räsänen.

Räsänen also wants to ban abortion except in cases where the life of the mother is in danger.

“Life should be protected even when that life is small and weak. Life begins at conception, and present legislation does not offer protection to the life of an unborn child,” Räsänen says.

The True Finns also promote a socially-conservative agenda.

National Coalition Party Trying to Stem Outflow of Conservative Supporters

The National Coalition Party has seen signs of danger, after its party congress came out in favour of allowing same-sex marriage. The party’s Parliamentary group is treading cautiously on the issue.

“I feel that marriage as a concept and an institution is exclusively about a union between a woman and a man,” says National Coalition Party Parliamentary group chair Ben Zyskowicz.

The Centre Party is rocking the National Coalition Party’s boat. Parliament’s Centre Party deputy chair, Seppo Kääriäinen, commented in an opinion piece on YLE’s website on the differences between the Centre and the National Coalition Party.

“The National Coalition has turned into a liberal party, at least judging from its most recent declarations,” Kääriäinen says.

Zyskowicz is trying to prevent the drain of its traditional conservative supporters.

“The National Coalition Party supports traditional values. We want criminals to be put in prison so that they aren’t out on the streets. Also matters that are linked with the respect for the home, the family and religion are important for conservative-minded people,” Zyskowicz says.