(5 Feb 2012)
1. Various street scenes near polling station
2. Wide of street showing flags on buildings
3. Various of flags
4. People going into polling station
5. Close of sign outside polling station reading (in Finnish and Swedish) "Ward 13D"
6. Wide interior of polling station, people arriving
7. Close of election official checking identity card
8. Wide of voting booths as woman hands her completed vote to official, puts in ballot box
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Kimmo Groenlund, Director of Social Science Research, �bo Akademi University:
"Advance voting is very popular in Finland nowadays. At least 40-percent of all voters who will turn out, vote in advance. In the presidential election, it is even more popular, especially in the second round when you only have two finalists and people really make up their mind earlier. So, it might be almost 50 percent of all who will cast their vote will have done it in advance."
10. Mid of people voting
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Kimmo Groenlund, Director of Social Science Research, �bo Akademi University:
"The polls, there were several polls during this week, and they all predict a landslide victory for Sauli Niinisto. They say that it would be about 60-40 but I am inclined to think that, at least normally in these elections, it is more even. So I would say that the winner will have a figure that starts with a five. But still, I think that he is rather confident that he will win this election."
12. Wide of Helsinki street scene
13. Mid of trees covered in snow
14. Close of Finnish flag flying
STORYLINE:
Finns headed to the polls on Sunday in a second round of voting in the presidential election.
In the capital Helsinki, voters braved temperatures forecast as low as -28Celsius (-18.4 Fahrenheit) according to the Finnish Meteorological Institute, to cast their ballots.
Many people - an estimated 45 percent - avoided the cold weather and snow by voting in advance.
Director of Social Science Research at Abo Akademi University Kimmo Groenlund said people are now choosing to vote ahead of elections.
"At least 40 percent of all voters who will turn out, turn out in advance. In the presidential election, it is even more popular, especially in the second round when you only have two finalists and people really make up their mind earlier. So, it might be almost 50 percent of all who will cast their vote will have done it in advance," he said.
The first round of voting took place in January, but no single candidate got more than 50 percent of the vote to win outright.
Finns now must choose between the top two finalists from the first round; National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinisto and Green Party candidate Pekka Haavisto.
Niinisto is the long-time frontrunner to be president, having run unsuccessfully before in 2006.
His National Coalition Party is the largest party in government and holds the Prime Minister job as well as senior cabinet positions.
Pekka Haavisto is Finland's first openly gay presidential candidate, with a long career in international relations as a United Nations special envoy in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East.
Kimmo Groenlund said he felt it would be a close run race.
"They say that it would be about 60-40 but I am inclined to think that, at least normally in these elections, it is more even. So I would say that the winner will have a figure that starts with a five. But still, I think that he is rather confident that he will win this election," he said.
The Finnish president has a largely ceremonial role and is not directly involved in daily politics.

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