One third of respondents to a survey conducted by the University of Helsinki said that they considered Pekka Haavisto's partner — an Ecuadorian man named Antonio Flores — to be a reason not to vote for him in the Finnish presidential election.
The results of the survey were first reported by Yle's Swedish language unit Svenska Yle, who saw a draft of the Citizens' Barometer report before it was published by the university.
The barometer asked respondents to rate different reasons for not voting for candidates in the election, and the candidates' spouses was one of the options.
"In the case of Haavisto in particular, a relatively high proportion of respondents said that the candidate's spouse is a reason not to vote for him. We are talking about a third of all respondents," University of Helsinki professor Jaakko Hillo noted.
Haavisto's partner was cited as an issue even by voters who described themselves as left-liberal, Hillo said, but added that the people who considered it a problem were much more likely to describe themselves as right-wing conservatives.
Although Haavisto's sexual orientation was the subject of much speculation in the 1990s, it wasn't publicly revealed until 2002 when he registered his partnership with Flores, an Ecuadorian man he met in Colombia in 1997.
Helsinki University conducted the survey before the first round of voting ended on Sunday 28 January, when there were still nine candidates in the race.
The spouses of the other candidates were not cited as an issue by the survey respondents. All of the other candidates are in heterosexual relationships.
A total of about 1,300 people answered the survey, which aims to monitor voters' behaviour and attitudes.
The All Points North podcast this week asks what differentiates the two candidates vying to become Finland's next president. Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Flores: Finland is changing for the better
When Haavisto stood as a candidate in the 2012 presidential election, his sexual orientation and relationship with Flores became a divisive electoral issue.
That has not been the case this time around, although the topic has been raised on a few occasions, mostly notably when Antonio Flores gave an interview to Apu magazine.
Flores told Apu that a candidates' sexual orientation should be discussed, like any other topic, but he noted that the issue did not seem to be as controversial as it had been in 2012.
"Finland has changed for the better in that it is now quite normal to have two homosexuals in a couple. This is also the case with the leaders of countries such as Latvia, Belgium and Luxembourg," Flores said.
The latest on the Finnish presidential election — including candidate profiles, a very simple guide and Yle's election compass — is available here.
Advance voters maintain record pace
Advance voting for the second round of Finland's presidential election opened on Wednesday, and by 3pm on Friday afternoon the turnout had risen to 21.5 percent.
This is a higher turnout rate than during the first round, which itself set a new record.
By day three of advance voting in the first round, the turnout was 16.3 percent.
Advance voting for Finnish citizens living abroad ends on Saturday, while domestically the last day to vote in advance is Tuesday 6 February.
Election day itself is on Sunday 11 February and Finland is set to have a new president in office by 1 March.
The barometer conducted by the University of Helsinki also asked respondents how they would vote in the second round.
"There are very clear patterns. Those who voted for Jutta Urpilainen and Li Andersson give Haavisto a significantly higher rating than Stubb, who ranks much higher among voters who voted for Jussi Halla-aho. Among supporters of Olli Rehn, Stubb's lead is not as large," Professor Åsa von Schoultz told Svenska Yle.
She added that effective leadership and credibility were said by respondents to be the most important factors when choosing who will be Finland's next president.
"Haavisto and Stubb are both seen as competent and effective leaders, while Haavisto is perceived as more empathetic and reliable," von Schoultz said.
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