Women and Political Decision-Making in Finland

•   All the information below concerns the situation in February 2006.

Women and men have had full political rights since 1906

•   All citizens have the right to vote and stand as candidates in general elections.

The system of parliamentary representation

•   Finland has unicameral Parliament

•   200 Members of Parliament                  \

•   Women's proportion of the MPs is 38 %.

•   Women's proportion of the candidates in the most recent parliamentary elections in 2003 was 40%.

Government and Prime Minister

•    18 Ministers

•   44 % of them are women

•   The first female Prime Minister in 2003. The present Prime Minister is male.

•   The Prime Minister has greater powers than the President of the Republic.

President of the Republic

•   The President is elected by direct popular vote for a period of six years, and can be re-elected once.

•   The first female President of the Republic, Tarja Halonen, was elected in 2000.

•   She was re-elected in 2006.

Municipal councils

•   The municipal council is the body exercising the highest decision-making power in a municipality.

•   Women's proportion of the members of the municipal councils is 36 %.

Members of the European Parliament

•   Finland has 14 Members in the European Parliament.

•   Five women MEPs, i.e. 36 %.

The Election Act                        '                       *

•   Finland uses proportional representation.

•   The Finnish Election Act has no mentions or quotas regarding the gender of candidates.

      •   The registered political parties nominate candidates for the elections.