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Domestic news -
General
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Wednesday, 10 March 2010 20:04 |
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Finnish parliamentary elections will be shifted from March to the third Sunday of April, beginning in the spring of next year. At the same time, the first round of the presidential election will be pushed forward one week. The government accepted the proposals to be submitted to parliament on 4 March.
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Election days
– Under the Election Act of 1906, legally required elections were held on the first and second days of July. In 1952, the date was transferred to the first Sunday and following Monday of July. However, it was decided soon afterwards that high summer was an unsuitable period for the election.
– In 1965 the general election was transferred to the third Sunday in March and the following Monday. The change was justified with reference to heightened general interest in affairs of state in the period between winter holidays and high summer. March was chosen so to ensure parliament had sufficient time to debate the government budget before the end of the calendar year.
– In 1990, Finland switched over to one-day elections and the third Sunday of March was confirmed as election day. The one-day vote has seen advance voting to become increasingly popular.
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Similarly, the law would be changed to allow the carers of people entitled to home-based voting, to vote along with their entitled charges.
The date of next year’s parliamentary elections is thus 17 April. Since the date of Easter changes, election day would be held on the Sunday before Easter in those years in which Easter falls on the third Sunday of the month. This will happen for the first time in elections scheduled to be held in 2019.
The idea behind a later general election is that the improved spring weather would be better for campaigning and voting. This will lift voter turnout, the reformers hope. A later presidential election would instead push the climax of that campaign well clear of the period between Christmas and New Year.
STT |
