Democracy policy

The goal of the Government's democracy policy is to address topical democracy-related challenges and ensure that citizens are provided with opportunities for participating and exerting influence in society. 

Promoting democracy is long-term work.

The Government Resolution on Finnish Democracy Policy in the 2020s (in Finnish) sets out six key goals

1. The electoral system is well-functioning, secure and reliable. Everyone has equal opportunities and adequate capabilities to exercise their electoral rights.

2. Finland provides versatile opportunities for participation, and an increasing number of people exercise their right to participate. Open and interactive governance bolsters trust. Decisions are made based on knowledge.

3. Democracy education, human rights education and media education, together with continuous learning, support the exercise of the participation rights.

4. The media environment is pluralist and diverse, and the culture of debate in Finnish society enables the participation of everyone.

5. An active and vibrant civil society is a key element in a well-functioning democracy.
6. Finland actively participates in the EU’s democracy efforts and supports international democracy development

Achieving these objectives requires a long-term democracy policy extending beyond government terms and cooperation across administrative branches. 

The National Democracy Programme 2025 encompassed several measures promoting the civil society and participation during the 2019–2023 parliamentary term. The Democracy Programme functioned as an umbrella for democracy-related projects carried out by different ministries. The Government’s Democracy Network, appointed by the Ministry of Justice, was responsible for coordinating the Democracy Programme and the Government’s democracy policy. 

The follow-up report for the National Democracy Programme 2025 (in Finnish) examines how well the objectives set in the Democracy Programme have been achieved, what measures have been taken to achieve the objectives, and what kinds of impacts the measures are expected to have on the development of Finnish democracy. 

The Action Plan on Democracy Policy for 2017–2019 (in Finnish) was based on the Government Report on Democracy Policy submitted to Parliament in 2014. 

Democracy indicators are used for monitoring the state of democracy in Finland.