30 November 2014, 21:45 GMT
MOSCOW, December 12 (Sputnik) — Finnish lawmakers approved a legislative proposal to introduce equal marriage rights in a vote on Friday, a statement on the parliament’s official website said.
“The Finnish Parliament voted 101-90 in favour of citizens' initiative for equal marriage rights on Friday 12th December,” the statement read.
The new legislation will enter into force on March 1, 2017.
In late November, Finland’s parliament voted against the Legal Affairs Committee’s decision to reject a citizen’s initiative, aimed at introducing gender-neutral amendments to the country’s Marriage Act, which currently defines marriage as a union between man and woman. The initiative gathered more than 170,000 votes.
Same-sex marriage is currently legal in 10 European states and 16 countries in total, as well as certain regions of the United States and Mexico.
