Free and fair elections, covered by a free and independent press, form a cornerstone of democracy.
Finland holds presidential elections (at six-year intervals), parliamentary elections (four-year intervals), European Parliament elections (five-year intervals) and, last but not least, combined county and municipal elections (four-year intervals).
Foreigners living in Finland can vote in county and municipal elections (held on April 13, 2025). It’s a chance to get involved in the political process as a voter or a candidate, to make their views known and have some influence on the future direction of society.
Hanging out at the library
Navid, a longtime resident of Finland originally from Afghanistan, and his daughter have space to play in the kids’ section of Oodi, Helsinki’s central library.Photo: Emilia Kangasluoma
One of the numerous polling places available for advance voting is located on the top floor of Oodi, Helsinki’s central library and one of the city’s architectural landmarks. The children’s section is on the same level, complete with a spacious play area. Dozens of prams are parked in rows nearby, a sign of the location’s popularity among Helsinki families.
Navid, a welder by profession, recently moved to Helsinki from the northern Finnish city of Oulu. Originally from Afghanistan, he has lived in Finland for nine years.
While keeping an eye on his daughter, Aliisa, he tells us “I believe it’s an important thing” to be able to vote. However, he’s not going to cast his vote today at Oodi, he says. The reason becomes obvious as Aliisa grabs his hand and pulls him toward the play area.
Superimportant participation
Fabio, an Italian who lives in Finland with his family, values the chance to cast his vote in local elections.Photo: Emilia Kangasluoma
Not far away, Fabio, an Italian who has lived in Finland for 12 years, is sitting with his son, Leonardo.
“It’s superimportant,” says Fabio, when asked what it means to him to be able to participate in the election. “I’m not a citizen, but I’m a resident, so it’s good that I can vote for the mayor of the city I live in.” He adds that it’s “quite nice to be able to vote in advance.”
Leonardo is his third child. “Nowadays, I have a family, so family issues are important to me,” Fabio says. We have caught him on the last day of a three-month parental leave. Soon he will return to his job as a researcher at the Central Bank of Finland and Leonardo will start daycare, joining his two older sisters.
“Waaah,” says Leonardo, as if making a good-natured comment about what his dad just said.
Who gets to vote in which election?
People head for the voting booths at an advance voting location in Oodi, Helsinki’s central library.Photo: Emilia Kangasluoma
How big is the foreign-resident contingent of the Finnish electorate? At the time of writing, more than 411,000 foreign nationals live in Finland, according to Statistics Finland. That comprises 7.3 percent of the total population of 5.6 million, and does not include foreign-born people who have Finnish citizenship. In Helsinki and the surrounding region, foreign nationals make up more than 12 percent of the inhabitants.
Presidential and parliamentary elections require Finnish citizenship, and EU citizens living in Finland can vote in European Parliament elections. In county and municipal elections, however, foreign residents who have been living in Finland for at least two years have the right to vote and run for office.
In most of the country, people vote on the same day for one candidate in their county election and one in their municipal election. Helsinki is a municipality that stands on its own, without a county, so Helsinkians cast votes in only one election.
All eligible voters are automatically registered to vote (the voting age is 18). They receive notification digitally or via snail mail in advance of each election, including the address of their local polling place and a list of locations for advance voting. For the April 2025 county and municipal elections, the 4,270,942 eligible voters included 260,047 foreign nationals, or 6.1 percent of the total.
More info about elections in Finland here.
By Peter Marten, April 2025
