Finnish municipal elections 2017

The municipal elections are just a bit over a week away. And most of the people living in Finland are eligible to vote.

by Yle News

You are not sure you are among them? Allowed to vote are:

• Finnish, EU, Icelandic and Norwegian citizens who are at least 18 and have lived in the municipality more than 50 days.
• Other foreigners 18 who have lived in the municipality more than 50 days and who lived in Finland for at least two years in a row.

If you are eligible to vote, please do so. Now you have a chance to have an influence in what happens in Helsinki.

It might be tough to come by information about the election and the parties if you don't speak Finnish or Swedish. But there are a few sources in English that can help you:

For more information on the election, what it is about and who is eligible to vote, check out kuntavaalit.fi.

For information about the parties check out the link list on Yle as well as the Yle News debate in English.

You still have until next week Sunday to make your decision. So check out the information.

And don't forget to vote on April 9!

Election Day

Today is the big day of the parliamentary elections in Finland. Over the last weeks politicians have been very present everywhere around town. Tonight we will find out about the results of their efforts.

But what exactly happens at those elections, how is the voting process and what will happen after the elections? ThisisFINLAND has looked at some of the most important questions during and after the elections and put the most important points together.

You can follow the election live tonight starting from 19:30 on Yle 1.

Have a nice election Sunday!

Live tv on the street

Would you like to follow how live tv is made? At the moment you can. At Lasipalatsi MTV3 has put up their news truck that broadcasts live from the city center.

Here the journalists talk to politicians and report about the election campaign. Have a look if you like. And follow up on what is happening shortly before the elections on Sunday.

Election time

The parliamental elections are just a few days ahead. On April 19 Finland will elect a new eduskunta. If you don't have a Finnish citicenship you are not entiteled to vote this time though.

You can still follow up on what the parties stand for. And thanks to Yle you can even listen to what Finnish party leaders have to say and stand for. Yle News has interviewed the heads of all big Finnish parties.

You can find all the videos on the Yle News page. Have a look.

A Day for Europe

Today is election day. Europe is electing a new European Parliament. And if you are entitled to vote, then don't waste your chance.

And remember that you should decide not only on a party but on a candidate as well. What you will do to cast your vote is write your candidate's number on the ballot paper.

If you still don't really know which party is closest to you, check out the EUvox 2014 website to find your perfect match.

Starting from 19:30 tonight YLE 1 will be covering everything around the election including the results.

Who to vote for

In just a bit over two weeks the election for the European Parliament take place. If you are over 18 and citizen of the European Union you are entitled to vote. But who to vote for? Especially if it is your first election in Finland and you are not familiar at all with the Finnish party landscape.

The EUvox 2014 website can help you. No matter what EU country you vote in the system gives you the opportunity to find your best match among the local parties by asking you several questions that you can give your opinion on. And don't worry if you don't speak any English. EUvox always supports English in addition to the local language.

With your result EUvox gives you detailed information on the parties, their opinions and on what matters you agree or disagree with them.

Check it out. And don't forget to vote on May 25!

The results

After yesterday’s communal elections the votes have been counted during the evening.

Find the results for Helsinki and for the whole country from the website of Helsingin Sanomat. Here you can not only see, how many seats each party got but also  find out if your candidate made it.

Election Day

Everywhere in Finland the polling stations just opened. If you are entitled to vote in the communal elections you have time till 20.00 to do so.

In case you still don’t really know who to vote for check out the parties’ websites. Most of them have an English version.

Every vote counts!

Make your vote count

One week from now the communal elections will be held in Finland. Those elections will decide who is going to sit in the town parliament and will decide about the development in your neighborhood. So the outcome of those elections will affect you directly. It will be about matter like where the new playground will be put, if the street you live on will get new traffic lights and so on.

But who is allowed to vote? In case you are a citizen of the European Union, Iceland or Norway, are 18 years or older and where registered in Finland latest at the 51^st day before the election you have the right to vote. You should in that case have received an election notice by mail. There you can see where you have to go next Sunday to give your vote. The polling stations are open on 28 October from 9.00 till 20.00.

Everyone has just one vote in this election that has to be given to one specific candidate. This way you help to get your candidate into the parliament but also support his or her party at the same time. All parties are advertising in all over the city at the moment. So if you don't know who to vote for, approach them and ask who represents them in your neighborhood and what his or her plans are.

More information on the Kunnallisvaalit can be found from the official elections website of the Ministry of Justice.