Parliament of Finland

The Eduskunta (in Finnish), or the Riksdag (in Swedish), is the Parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in Parliament House (Eduskuntatalo; Riksdagshuset) in Helsinki.

Constitution

Under the Constitution of Finland, the 200-member unicameral Parliament exercises supreme decision-making authority in Finland. Sovereignty belongs to the people and that power is vested in the Parliament. It passes legislation, decides on the state budget, approves international treaties and supervises the activities of the Government. It may alter the constitution, bring about the resignation of the Council of State, and override presidential vetoes; its acts are not subject to judicial review. Legislation may be initiated by the Council of State, or one of the members of the Eduskunta. To make changes to the Constitution, amendments must be approved twice by the Eduskunta, in two successive electoral periods with a general election held in between.

Members enjoy parliamentary immunity: without the Parliament's approval, members may not be prosecuted for anything they say in session or otherwise do in the course of parliamentary proceedings, or be arrested or detained except for serious offences.

Parliamentary elections

The Eduskunta's 200 Representatives are elected directly by secret ballot on the basis of proportional representation. The electoral period is four years. Elections previously took two days but now are conducted on one day, the third Sunday in March.

Every citizen who is at least 18 years of age and is registered to vote by the election date is entitled to vote in general elections and with certain exceptions, such as military personnel on active duty and high judicial officials, can also stand for Parliament. Candidates are selected by party referendums or electoral organizations.

For the purpose of Parliamentary elections, Finland is divided into 16 electoral districts. The number of Representatives returned by each district depends on the population. Åland is an exception in that it always returns one Representative. The provincial state offices appoint an election board in each electoral district to prepare lists of candidates and to approve the election results. The Ministry of Justice is ultimately responsible for elections.

In each electoral district the total number of votes for each party, electoral alliance or joint list is calculated and the candidate with the most votes in the party, electoral alliance or joint list is assigned this number as a reference figure. The figure for the candidate who comes in second is half the total, the figure for the candidate who comes in next is a third of the total etc. (This is known as the d'Hondt method). The final order of all the candidates in the district is thus determined on the basis of reference figures. Finland does not have a vote threshold, nor does it provide for votes to be given to a party rather than an individual.

The President of Finland can call for an early election upon the proposal of the Prime Minister, after consultations with the parliamentary groups while Parliament is in session.

Formation of a Government

The President conducts negotiations regarding the formation of a new Council of State (Government) with the Speaker of the Eduskunta and then with representatives of the parliamentary groups in order to determine what type of Government base the parliamentary groups consider most viable. According to the constitution, the Eduskunta elects the Prime Minister, who is appointed to office by the President. Other ministers are appointed by the President on the basis of the Prime Minister’s proposal.

Before the Prime Minister is elected, the parliamentary groups negotiate on the political programme and composition of the Council of State. On the basis of the outcome of these negotiations, and after having consulted the Speaker of the Eduskunta and the parliamentary groups, the President informs the Eduskunta of the nominee for Prime Minister. The nominee is elected Prime Minister if this is supported by a majority of votes in the Eduskunta.

Sessions

The annual session of Parliament generally begins in February and consists of two terms, the first from January until June, the second from September to December. At the start of an annual session, the nation’s political leaders and their guests attend a special worship service at Helsinki Cathedral, before the ceremonies continue at Parliament House, where the President formally opens the session.

On the first day of each annual session, the Eduskunta selects a Speaker and two Deputy Speakers from among its members. This election is chaired by the senior member in terms of age. The members who are elected to serve as Speaker and First and Second Deputy Speaker take the following solemn oath before Parliament;

"I,..., affirm that in my office as Speaker I will to the best of my ability defend the rights of the people, Parliament and the government of Finland according to the Constitution."

At the beginning of each electoral term, committees are appointed to prepare matters. Each annual session of Parliament elects Finland’s delegations to the Nordic Council and the Council of Europe.

Ruling majority

Finland's proportional representation system encourages a multitude of political parties and has resulted in many coalition-cabinets.

In the parliamentary elections of 16 March 2003, there were two dominating parties: the Centre Party (KESK) got 55 seats, and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) got 53 seats, in the 200-seat Eduskunta. A new cabinet was formed by Centre and Social Democratic parties together with the Swedish People's Party.

History

The Eduskunta was preceded by the Diet of Finland, which had succeeded the Riksdag of the Estates in 1809. When the unicameral Parliament of Finland was established by the Parliament Act in 1906, Finland was an autonomous Grand Duchy under the Russian Tsar, who ruled as constitutional Grand Duke of Finland, rather than as an absolute monarch. Universal suffrage and eligibility was implemented first in Finland. Women could both vote and run for office as equals, and this applied also to landless people with no excluded minorities. The first parliament had 17 women representatives, an unprecedented number at the time.

Finland declared its independence on December 6, 1917 and in the winter of 1918 endured the tragic Finnish Civil War, after which monarchists and republicans struggled over the country's form of government. Finland became a republic in July 1919, but extensive powers were reserved for the President of Finland.

Parliament building

Main Article: Eduskuntatalo

In 1923 a competition was held to choose a site for a new Parliament House. Arkadianmäki, a hill beside what is now Mannerheimintie, was chosen as the best site.

The architectural competition which was held in 1924 was won by the firm of Borg–Sirén–Åberg with a proposal called Oratoribus. Johan Sigfrid Sirén (1889–1961), who was mainly responsible for preparing the proposal, was given the task of designing Parliament House. The building was constructed 1926–1931 and was officially inaugurated on March 7 1931. Ever since then, and especially during the Winter War and Continuation War, it has been the scene of many key moments in the nation's political life.

Parliament House was designed in the classic style of the 1920s. The exterior is reddish Kalvola granite. The façade is lined by fourteen columns with Corinthian capitals. The first floor contains the main lobby, the Speaker’s reception rooms, the newspaper room, the Information Service, the Documents Office, the messenger centre, the copying room, and the restaurant and separate function rooms. At both ends of the lobby are marble staircases leading up to the fifth floor.

The second or main floor is centred around the Session Hall. Its galleries have seats for the public, the media and diplomats. Also located on this floor are the Hall of State, the Speaker’s Corridor, the Government’s Corridor, the cafeteria and adjacent function rooms.

The third floor includes facilities for the Information Unit and the media and provides direct access to the press gallery overlooking the Session Hall. The Minutes Office and a number of committee rooms are also located here.

The fourth floor is reserved for committees. Its largest rooms are the Grand Committee Room and the Finance Committee Room. The fifth floor contains meeting rooms and offices for the parliamentary groups. Additional offices for the parliamentary groups are located on the sixth floor, along with facilities for the media.

Notable later additions to the building are the library annex completed in 1978 and a separate office block, the need for which was the subject of some controversy, completed in 2004.

Major political parties

Main article: Political parties in Finland

The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is mostly supported by the urban working class but it also has some support among small farmers, white-collar workers, and professionals. In the 1995 parliamentary elections, SDP gained a plurality in Finland's parliament with 28% of the vote. But as it won far less than an overall majority, a five-party governing coalition was formed, baptized the "Rainbow-coalition". In the 1999 general election, the SDP maintained its plurality with 22.9%, but the Centre Party came in as a near second with 22.4%. The coalition continued with little changes.

The Leftist Alliance (LA), the SDP's rival on the left, gained 11% of the vote in 1995 and joined the SDP-led cabinet. In the 1999 elections it again got 11% of the vote, and remained in cabinet. The LA was formed in May 1990 and replaced the People's Democratic League, the group that represented the Finnish Communist Party in the Eduskunta. Political activity by Communists was legalized after the Continuation War in 1944.

Finland's two other major parties are the Centre Party (Keskusta), traditionally representing rural interests, and the Conservative National Coalition (Kokoomus), which draws its major support from the business community and urban professionals. The Centre Party won nearly 20% and the National Coalition Party 18% of the vote in 1995. In the 1995 elections, they won 22.9% and 21% of the vote, respectively. The National Coalition Party were the second-largest party in the SDP-led coalition, which also included the Swedish People's Party and the Green League (which left the Rainbow-coalition after the decision to build a fifth nuclear reactor).

Election results 2003

External links

Parliament of Finland - Official site
History of the Finnish Parliament

National legislatures | Politics of Finland | Parliaments by country | Buildings and structures in Helsinki

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Parliament of Finland