Finnish municipal elections, 2012

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Finnish municipal election, 2012 was held in Finland on 28 October with advance voting between 17 and 23 October 2012. 9,674 municipal council seats were open for election in 304 municipalities. The number of councillors decreased by over 700 compared to the previous election due to the merging of several municipalities. [1] The term of the elected councillors will begin on 1 January 2013.

Finland Republic in Northern Europe

Finland, officially the Republic of Finland is a country in Northern Europe bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Norway to the north, Sweden to the northwest, and Russia to the east. Finland is a Nordic country and is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. The capital and largest city is Helsinki. Other major cities are Espoo, Vantaa, Tampere, Oulu and Turku.

The municipalities represent the local level of administration in Finland and act as the fundamental, self-governing administrative units of the country. The entire country is incorporated into municipalities and legally, all municipalities are equal, although certain municipalities are called cities or towns. Municipalities have the right to levy a flat percentual income tax, which is between 16 and 22 percent, and they provide two thirds of public services. Municipalities control many community services, such as schools, health care and the water supply, and local streets. They do not maintain highways, set laws or keep police forces, which are responsibilities of the central government.

Contents

Funds

In Finland, candidates have to declare their campaign funding. 15% of the declarations did not arrive in time. [2]

Competing parties

Centre Party (Finland) registered political party in Finland

The Centre Party of Finland is a centrist, liberal, agrarian political party in Finland.

Social Democratic Party of Finland registered political party in Finland

The Social Democratic Party of Finland, shortened to the Social Democrats, is a social-democratic political party in Finland. The party holds 35 seats in Finland's parliament. The party has set many fundamental policies of Finnish society during its representation in the Finnish Government. Founded in 1899, the SDP is Finland's oldest active political party. The SDP has a close relationship with Finland's largest trade union, SAK, and is a member of the Socialist International, the Party of European Socialists, and SAMAK.

The Green League, shortened to the Greens, is a green political party in Finland. The Green League is among the largest political parties in Finland. The Greens hold fifteen seats in the Finnish Parliament and one in the European Parliament. The party is a member of the Global Greens and the European Green Party, while its MEP, Heidi Hautala, sits with The Greens–European Free Alliance in the European Parliament. Originally split on whether Finland should join the European Union, the Green League is pro-European and was the first Finnish party in favor of the federalisation of the European Union.

Electoral method

The D'Hondt method is used in the election. The size of the municipal council or city council depends on the population of the municipality: [3]

The D'Hondt method or the Jefferson method is a highest averages method for allocating seats, and is thus a type of party-list proportional representation. The method described is named in the United States after Thomas Jefferson, who introduced the method for proportional allocation of seats in the United States House of Representatives in 1791, and in Europe after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt, who described it in 1878 for proportional allocation of parliamentary seats to the parties. There are two forms: closed list and an open list.

Population Number of councilmen
under 2,000 13, 15 or 17
2,001–4,000 21
4,001–8,000 27
8,001–15,000 35
15,001–30,000 43
30,001–60,000 51
60,001–120,000 59
120,001–250,000 67
250,001–400,000 75
over 400,000 85

Helsinki is the only city in the last category and Espoo the only city in the second-to-last category.

Helsinki Capital city in Uusimaa, Finland

Helsinki is the capital and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of 650,058. The city's urban area has a population of 1,268,296, making it by far the most populous urban area in Finland as well as the country's most important center for politics, education, finance, culture, and research. Helsinki is located 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Tallinn, Estonia, 400 km (250 mi) east of Stockholm, Sweden, and 390 km (240 mi) west of Saint Petersburg, Russia. It has close historical ties with these three cities.

Espoo City and municipality in Uusimaa, Finland

Espoo is the second largest city and municipality in Finland. It is part of the Finnish Capital Region, and most of its population lives in the inner urban core of the Helsinki metropolitan area, along with the cities of Helsinki, Vantaa, and Kauniainen. Espoo shares its eastern border with Helsinki and Vantaa, while enclosing Kauniainen. The city is located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, in the region of Uusimaa and has a population of 284,444.

National results

Largest party by constituency: National Coalition Party Centre Party Social Democratic Party Finnish municipal elections, 2012 result by constituency.png
Largest party by constituency:
  National Coalition Party
  Centre Party
  Social Democratic Party
Party Votes [5] Council seats
Number%Swing
(2008)		Swing
(2011)		NumberNet ±
National Coalition 545,889 21.9% -1.6% +1.5%1,735 -286
Social Democratic 487,92419.6% -1.7% +0.5%1,729 -337
Centre 465,16618.7% -1.4% +2.9%3,077 -440
Finns 307,79712.3% +7.0% -6.7%1,195 +752
Green League 213,1008.5% -0.4% +1.3%323 -47
Left Alliance 199,6158.0% -0.8% -0.1% 640 -193
Swedish People's 117,8654.7% ±0.0% +0.4%480 -30
Christian Democrat 93,2573.7% -0.4% -0.3%300 -51
Communist Party 11,1740.4% -0.1% +0.1%9 ±0
Pirate 5,9860.2%new -0.3%0 ±0
Independence Party 1,3030.1%±0.0% -0.1%0 -2
Change 2011 1,2580.1%new -0.2%1 +1
Communist Workers' Party – For Peace and Socialism 704<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0 ±0
For the Poor 572<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0±0
Workers Party 538<0.1%<0.1%<0.1%0±0
Freedom Party 15<0.1%new<0.1%0±0
Others41,3581.7% -0.8% +1.3%185 -102
Total2,493,5219,674 -738

Turnout was 58.3%, [6] lower than in the previous municipal election.

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References

  1. ↑ http://www.kuntavaalit.fi/media/faktat/Sivut/default.aspx
  2. ↑ http://www.vaalirahoitus.fi/ section 4.1.2013
  3. ↑ http://www.vaalit.fi/14167.htm
  4. ↑ "Yle Tulos palvelu Koko maa". Yle Vaalikone.
  5. ↑ Ministry of Justice. "Party results" . Retrieved 2 November 2012.
  6. ↑ Ministry of Justice. "Party results" . Retrieved 2 November 2012.
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