Foreign Nationals and Municipal Elections in Finland

Electoral rights of foreign nationals in municipal elections of Finland

Right to vote

In municipal elections of Finland, entitled to vote are Finnish citizens who reach the age of 18 years on election day at the latest and reside in Finland. In addition, entitled to vote are: 

1) citizens of other EU Member States, Iceland and Norway residing in Finland, under the same conditions as Finnish citizens; and  

2) citizens of other states if they have resided continuously in Finland for at least two (2) years on the 51st day before election day when the voting register for municipal elections is established.

No one needs to separately register to be entered in the voting register for municipal elections. Instead, the Digital and Population Data Services Agency compiles the register by virtue of office, based on the information entered in the Finnish Population Information System for each individual.

Right to stand as a candidate

As a rule, every person entitled to vote in municipal elections is also eligible to stand as a candidate in municipal elections. However, persons who have been declared legally incompetent by a court decision and persons who perform certain tasks related to municipalities referred to in section 72 of the Local Government Act are not eligible to stand as candidates in municipal elections. 

Candidates may be nominated by (a) political parties and (b) constituency associations. To become a candidate of a political party, the person must agree on this with the party in question. To become a candidate of a constituency association, the person must collect the signatures of at least ten (10) persons entitled to vote in the municipality in question in support of his or her candidacy. Further information on the nomination of candidates is provided by:

• registered political parties, and
• central municipal election boards, if the question concerns the establishment of a constituency association.

The above extract from the website of the Finnish electoral commission said it all regarding the rights of residents of foreign nationalities in Finland to vote and be voted for in Municipal elections. 

But the pertinent question to ask is, are the foreign nationals effectively utilizing these rights?

In this article, we will feature some candidates of foreign backgrounds and from different political parties to find out what their manifestos sound like, and also know what other things they have in mind to offer. 

Christian Thibault is a European of German extraction, from Bonn, to be precise

• 
   Why I want to serve the people: I believe that we need to do a lot of work for and as a society and that so far democracy is the best form to do it. Democracy needs active participants and as such, I am ready to serve.  

• What I think about diverse participation in local politics: It is very important that the diversity of a municipality's citizens is represented on every level of decision-making. In this, we have to remember that immigrants are not one homogenous group, but rather consist of multiple backgrounds and generations.

• 

Habiba Ali is a young mother of Somalian extraction.

I am a young municipal councilor from Espoo, the Church Aid Aid Program Coordinator and mother of the family. As a person, I am brave, honest, and humane. I am very people-oriented and get along with different types. It has therefore been natural that in my working life I have ended up in positions where I have worked as a bridge-builder between communities. I enjoy meeting people and working together, it’s a strength that supports me.

Despite my young age, I have been involved in politics for more than 15 years. I was elected to the Espoo Youth Council at the age of 14. Since then, I have worked in various organizations and municipalities in both work and trust positions. The red thread in all my activities is the desire to see an equal, diverse, and secure society around me. A society where no one is left out and everyone would treat each other equally as human beings without any additional attributes or confrontation. I want to continue this work in the Council

John Opoku Aduajei is a young father of Ghanaian extraction

I encourage all those living in Helsinki who are eligible to vote; to vote for the Sustainable Entrepreneurship vision. Vote for better lives for all Immigrants in our city.

Your vote matters and it's respected to make a huge difference. 

Kindly take your valid ID to the nearest Posti or supermarket and vote for John Opoku Aduadjei (955). 

Also from the voting notice you received from Maistratti, there are listed in it the places closer to you where you can vote as well.

We're counting on your priceless vote to make a difference in our Municipality.

 #Vote955

#SustainableEntrepreneurship

#betterlives4immigrants 

Eligible persons of foreign background are hereby encouraged to use their votes to bring in those they believe will represent their interests, for this is the essence of democracy. 

You cannot sit back and murmur your complaints when things do not favor your interest. The time to act is now. USE YOUR VOTING RIGHT do not waste those papers you got from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency.

CAST YOUR VOTES NOW!

Ike Ude-Chime is a freelance journalist and a member 

of the European Journalists Network EJN