The Republic of Finland is the most northerly independent nation in the world. It is a unitary parliamentary republic with a representative democracy. Suffrage is a universal right for those who are 18 or older. Finland became the first country in Europe to elect a woman president and a woman prime minister at the same time.
Finland adopted a republican constitution in 1919. It has been amended a few times, and in the 1990s, the Finns began a process of constitutional reform. The reforms addressed numerous issues, among them who should attend meetings of the European Union, which they had just joined, details about the power and responsibility of the country in international affairs, and constitutional recognition of their new membership in the European Union.
The legislature is a unicameral parliament whose members serve for four year terms. Parliamentary elections are fun using a system of proportional representation. This system is credited by many in Finland with the proliferation of political parties. Some of the recent parties include the Social Democratic Party, the Left-Wing Alliance Party, Christian Democrats, the National Coalition Party, the Centre Party, the Swedish People's Party, the True Finn Party and the Green League.
The president is directly elected and serves for six years, largely in order to provide the country with a sense of stability, given the constant changes of government due to the multiparty system. The candidate has got to win a majority of the vote on the first round in order to win the presidency. If no majority is to be had, there is a run-off between the two candidates who got the most votes in the first round.
The executive branch consists of the president and the Council of State, also called the cabinet. The cabinet and the prime minister are appointed by the president, who chairs their meetings.
The president is the head of the armed forces. He can dissolve the parliament and has the power to make some decrees and conducts the nation's foreign policy, though major treaties and matters of war and peace have got to be approved by parliament.
Bills can be introduced in the parliament in the president's name. The president is able to refuse to sign a bill, but if it is passed in a subsequent parliament, he must sign it into law.
The judiciary is a separate branch from both the legislative and executive branches. The Supreme Court appoints district judges as well as appeals court judges. There are local district courts held in towns and cities by the chief judge and assistants, and in the rural areas by a judge and jurors. The chancellor of justice is the public prosecutor and the supreme judicial authority. The solicitor general, who is the ombudsman, is selected by the parliament, and the Supreme Administrative Court is the highest appeals court for administrative cases.
Finland is divided into 19 regions, called maakunnat, including the autonomous region of Åland, each of which is governed by a council.
There are more than 300 municipalities within the maakunnat. The majority of the municipalities have less than 10,000 residents.
Åland is different because it has a special status as a self-governing, demilitarized region. This was accomplished by the Act on the Autonomy of Åland, written in 1920 and settled by the League of Nations in 1921. The Act on the Autonomy of Åland affirmed that Finland had sovereignty over the region, based on a division of power between the islands and the rest of Finland. Åland has its own flag, its own parliament, and a representative on the Nordic Council.
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Recommended Resources
The official web site for the city of Helsinki seeks to display all relevant information about city, including city government, city departments, and city administration as well as the culture of Helsinki. Local schools and childhood education from kindergarten to polytechnics and universities, as well as local maps and information about public transportation are addressed.
https://www.hel.fi/helsinki/en
Finnish Museum of Natural History
The FMNH is an independent research institution operated by the University of Helsinki, and is one of three national museums in Finland, responsible for the national collections in its field. Its research projects and activities are described here, as well as its publications. View info about the museum's collections, databases, and research on such things as biogeography, the history of the earth, and endangered species..
http://www.luomus.fi/en
Available in English, Finnish, German, Japanese, Russian, and Swedish, this site promotes tourism in Helsinki and does so by sharing photographs of various parts of Helsinki and scenes from life there. Additionally, you can find restaurants. cafes, bars, and night clubs as swell as upcoming events and pictures of events gone by.
https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en
Museum and Science Centre Luppi
Maintained by the Science centre located in Oulu, Finland, this site shares details about the museum which has permanent and temporary exhibits spanning all areas of science, and an Imax cinema. Information about the hours, directions, and fees are included on this site.
https://www.ouka.fi/oulu/luuppi-english/home
This site represents the oldest and largest scholarly library in Finland, as well as the largest independent institute at the University of Helsinki, responsible for the collection, description, preservation and accessibility of Finland's national heritage. Its collections, services and cultural activities are described on its site.
https://www.myhelsinki.fi/en/
With the stated goal of being an attractive window on Finland for anyone who is interested in the country, this site is produced by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs. It displays information on this northern European country. Through this site can be found details about Finland's foreign policy, economy, history, arts and other subjects, including news articles about the country.
https://finland.fi
U.S. Department of State: Finland
Features a profile of the Republic of Finland prepared by the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the State Department of the United States. Its content includes an overview of Finnish history, culture, people, and language, as well as its economical outlook and relations with the United States and other countries.
https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3238.htm
Lays out the case for visiting the municipality of Espoo by sharing photographs and information about such things as some of the tourist attractions nearby including the Finnish Nature Centre, the archipelago, and the Exhibition Centre Weegee which houses four museums. Also highlights local aparthotels, hostels, and apartments.
https://www.visitespoo.fi/en/
