Parliamentary elections on 19 April 2015
Parliamentary elections will be held on 19 April 2015. In the elections, 200 Members of Parliament are elected for a four-year term.
For the purposes of parliamentary elections, the country has been divided into 13 electoral districts. A number of representatives proportional to the number of Finnish citizens residing in the electoral district six months prior to the elections are elected from each electoral district. However, from the electoral district of Åland is always elected one representative.
Every Finnish citizen who has reached the age of 18 not later than on the day of the election is entitled to vote. The Population Register Centre sends a polling card (i.e. a notice of right to vote) to each eligible voter. The card contains information on the voter's polling station on election day. Enclosed is also a list of the advance polling stations in the voter's electoral district.
In the parliamentary elections, voters may vote either on election day, which is on Sunday, 19 April, or in advance during the advance voting period between 8 and 14 April. Voters may only vote for a person who stands as a candidate in the voter's own electoral district.
Voters must present proof of their identity both when voting on election day and when voting in advance. The identification must have a photo on it.
Advance voting in Finland and abroad
Advance voting in the parliamentary elections begins in Finland on Wednesday, 8 April and ends on Tuesday, 14 April. Advance voting is arranged abroad on from 8 to 11 April, but the voting period is shorter than this at several advance polling stations abroad.
Those entitled to vote may do so at any of the general advance polling stations in Finland or abroad. Information on the addresses and opening hours of the advance polling stations is available on the Elections website of the Ministry of Justice at www.vaalit.fi. It is also possible to get information on the advance polling stations by calling the Ministry of Justice's election information service number 0800 9 4770 (for information in Finnish) or 0800 9 4771 (for information in Swedish). The information service is free of charge.
Persons whose ability to move is so restricted that they are unable to come to an advance polling station or a polling station on election day without undue hardship may vote in advance at home. Those who wish to vote in advance at home must notify the central electoral committee in their municipality of their intention by 16.00 on 7 April. The family carer of a person entitled to vote at home, living in the same household, may under certain conditions also vote at home.
Voting on election day, 19 April 2015
The election day is Sunday, 19 April, and all polling stations are then open between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. On election day, voters may cast their votes only at the polling station specified in the polling card sent to them in advance.
New citizens and young voters are encouraged to vote
The Ministry of Justice will be sending a letter to persons who have acquired Finnish citizenship and are now, for the first time, eligible to vote in parliamentary elections, encouraging them to vote. The letter will be sent to around 21 000 citizens. Another 54 000 similar letters will be sent by the Ministry of Justice and the youth organisation Finnish Youth Cooperation Allianssi to young voters who now have the right to vote for the first time.
Visit vaalit.fi for information about the parliamentary elections in different languages (Finnish, Swedish, Skolt Sami, Inari Sami, Northern Sami, Finnish and Swedish sign language and 16 other languages, including English, Estonian and Russian). Videos about voting can also be found on the the Ministry of Justice's YouTube channel.
Further information:
Arto Jääskeläinen, Director of Electoral Administration, tel. 02951 50128,
Jussi Aaltonen, Ministerial Adviser, tel. 02951 50560,
Senior Officer Heini Huotarinen, tel. 02951 50127
e-mail: [email protected]