Finland has a primarily parliamentary system, although the president also has some notable powers. The main executive power lies in the cabinet headed by the prime minister. Matters concerning national security are divided between the president and the cabinet. The cabinet shares responsibility of foreign affairs with the president. Before the constitutional rewrite, which was completed in 2000, the president enjoyed more power. A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... Alternate meanings in cabinet (disambiguation) A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the... Security measures taken to protect the Houses of Parliament in London, England. ... Foreign Affairs is an American journal of international relations. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... This article is about the year 2000. ...

Finns enjoy individual and political freedoms, and suffrage is universal at 18. The country's population is ethnically homogeneous with no sizable immigrant population. Few tensions exist between the Finnish-speaking majority and the Swedish-speaking minority, although in certain circles there is an unending debate about the status of the Swedish language. Swedish ( ▶ (help· info)) is a North Germanic language (also called Scandinavian languages) spoken predominantly in Sweden and in part of Finland, especially along the coast and on the Åland islands, by more than nine million people. ...

Constitution

Main article: Constitution of Finland The Constitution of Finland defines the government and its shape, the relationship between the different topmost branches of the commonwealth and the rights of the individual. ...

The Constitution was rewritten on March 1, 2000 after first being adopted in July 17, 1919. The civil law system is based on Swedish law. Supreme Court or Korkein oikeus may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws. Judges are appointed by the president. March 1 is the 60th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (61st in leap years). ... This article is about the year 2000. ... July 17 is the 198th day (199th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar, with 167 days remaining. ... 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

President

Main article: President of Finland The President of Finland (Suomen Tasavallan Presidentti; Republiken Finlands President) is the Head of State of Finland. ...

Elected for a six year term, the president:

• Handles Finland's foreign affairs in cooperation with the Cabinet, except for certain international agreements and decisions of peace or war, which must be submitted to the parliament;
• Is Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces;
• Has some decree and appointive powers;
• May block legislation by pocket veto, and call extraordinary parliamentary sessions; and
• Nominates and formally appoints the Prime Minister of Finland, and appoints the rest of the cabinet (Council of State).

Finland’s basic foreign policy goal, from the end of the Continuation War with the U.S.S.R. in 1944 until 1991, was to avoid great-power conflicts and to build mutual confidence with the Soviet Union. ... The concept of peace ranks among the most controversial in our time. ... War is a state of widespread conflict between states, organisations, or relatively large groups of people, which is characterised by the use of lethal violence between combatants or upon civilians. ... Commander-in-Chief (in NATO-lingo often C-in-C or CINC pronounced sink) is the commander of all the military forces within a particular region or of all the military forces of a state. ... The word veto comes from Latin and literally means I forbid. ... The Prime Minister (Finnish Pääministeri, Swedish: Statsminister) is the head of government in Finland. ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ...

Council of State

Main article: Cabinet of Finland The Council of State (Finnish: Valtioneuvosto, Swedish: Statsrådet) is Finlands cabinet; it directs the Government of Finland. ...

The Council of State is made up of the prime minister and ministers for the various departments of the central government as well as an ex-officio member, the Chancellor of Justice. Ministers are not obliged to be members of the Eduskunta (Parliament) and need not be formally identified with any political party.

The president, after hearing the parliament, nominates a prime minister candidate for the parliament to approve in a vote. The prime minister chooses the rest of the cabinet, which is formally appointed by the president.

Parliament

Main article: Parliament of Finland The Eduskunta in Finnish, or the Riksdag in Swedish, is the Parliament of Finland. ...

Constitutionally, the 200-member unicameral Eduskunta, the Parliament of Finland, is the supreme authority in Finland. 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 Eduskunta members. Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ... The Eduskunta in Finnish, or the Riksdag in Swedish, is the Parliament of Finland. ...

The Eduskunta is elected on the basis of proportional representation. All persons 18 or older, except military personnel on active duty and a few high judicial officials, are eligible for election. The regular parliamentary term is four years; however, the president may dissolve the Eduskunta and order new elections at the request of the prime minister and after consulting the speaker of parliament.

Political parties and elections

Election results include names of political parties. See for additional information about parties the Political parties in Finland. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Finland.

Finland's proportional representation system encourages a multitude of political parties and has resulted in many coalition-cabinets. An election is a decision making process whereby people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ... Political parties in Finland lists political parties in Finland. ... See Election (movie) for the film directed by Alexander Payne. ... Politics of Finland See also [[List of political parties in Åland|political parties in Åland]]. Categories: Election related stubs | Elections in Finland | Finnish politics ... A political party is a political organization that subscribes to a certain ideology and seeks to attain political power within a government. ...

In the parliamentary elections of 16 March 2003, there were two dominating parties: the Center 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 Center and Social Democrats together with the Swedish People's Party. March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Finnish political parties | Nordic Agrarian parties ... The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is one of the most influential political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the Coalition Party. ... The Swedish Peoples Party (Svenska folkpartiet (SFP) in Swedish or Ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (RKP) in Finnish) is a Swedish minority and mainly liberal party in Finland. ...

Finland elects on national level a head of state - the president - and a legislature. The president is elected for a six year term by the people. The Diet (Eduskunta/Riksdag) has 200 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies. Finland has a multi-party system, with three strong parties, in which no one party often has a chance of gaining power alone, and parties must work with each other to form coalition governments. The President of the United States visits the President of the Philippines. ... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... The Eduskunta in Finnish, or the Riksdag in Swedish, is the Parliament of Finland. ... Proportional representation (PR) is a (by necessity multi-winner) electoral system whose use tends to make elections result in groups of votes being represented in proportional fractions in some body of representatives, i. ... A constituency is any cohesive corporate unit or body bound by shared structures, goals or loyalty. ... A multi-party system is a type of party system. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues. ... A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet in parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. ...

In addition to the presidential and parlamentary elections, there are European Parliament elections every five years, and local municipal elections (held simultaneously in every municipality) every four years. Elections in the European Union gives information on election and election results in the European Union. ... The municipalities (kunta in Finnish, kommun in Swedish) represent the local level of self government in Finland and also act as the basic regional administrative units of the country. ...

See also: Finnish presidential election, 2006. January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... February 6 is the 37th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Tarja Kaarina Halonen (born December 24, 1943 in Helsinki) is the current and first female President of Finland. ... The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is one of the most influential political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the Coalition Party. ... Esko Tapani Aho (born May 20, 1954) is a statesman and former Prime Minister of Finland. ... ... Riitta Maria Uosukainen (née Vainikka) was born 18 June 1942 in Finland. ... The National Coalition Party (Kansallinen Kokoomus or Samlingspartiet) is a political party in Finland. ... Elisabeth Rehn (born April 6, 1935 in Helsinki, Finland) is a former MP of the Swedish Peoples Party and the first woman as the Minister of Defence in Finland. ... The Swedish Peoples Party (Svenska folkpartiet (SFP) in Swedish or Ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (RKP) in Finnish) is a Swedish minority and mainly liberal party in Finland. ... Heidi Hautala Heidi Anneli Hautala (born 14 November 1955) is a Finnish politician. ... The Green League (Finnish: Vihreä liitto, Swedish: Gröna förbundet), is a green political party in Finland. ... True Finns or Perussuomalaiset is a populist party in Finland. ... The 2006 Finnish presidential election will take place in January 2006, with the aim of determining the holder of the office of President of Finland for the six-year term until 2012. ...

Main articles: Finnish parliamentary election, 2003, and [[{{{2}}}]], and [[{{{3}}}]], and [[{{{4}}}]], and [[{{{5}}}]]

March 16 is the 75th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (76th in Leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Eduskunta in Finnish, or the Riksdag in Swedish, is the Parliament of Finland. ... ... The Social Democratic Party of Finland (SDP) is one of the most influential political parties in Finland, along with the Centre Party and the Coalition Party. ... The National Coalition Party (Kansallinen Kokoomus or Samlingspartiet) is a political party in Finland. ... The Left Alliance or Vasemmistoliitto is a political party in Finland. ... The Green League (Finnish: Vihreä liitto, Swedish: Gröna förbundet), is a green political party in Finland. ... The Christian Democrats (Kristillisdemokraatit or Kristdemokraterna) is a political party in Finland. ... The Swedish Peoples Party (Svenska folkpartiet (SFP) in Swedish or Ruotsalainen kansanpuolue (RKP) in Finnish) is a Swedish minority and mainly liberal party in Finland. ... True Finns or Perussuomalaiset is a populist party in Finland. ... The 2003 Finnish parliamentary election was held on Sunday, 16 March 2003, with the aim of determining the composition of the Finnish parliament, or Eduskunta, for the parliamentary period between 2003 and 2007. ...

Judicial system

Main article: Judicial system of Finland Under the Constitution of Finland, everyone is entitled to have their case heard by a court or an authority appropriately and without undue delay. ...

The judicial system is divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and special courts with responsibility for litigation between the public and the administrative organs of the state. Finnish law is codified. Although there is no writ of habeas corpus or bail, the maximum period of pre-trial detention has been reduced to four days. The Finnish court system consists of local courts, regional appellate courts, and a Supreme Court. This article is about courts of law. ... In English Common Law habeas corpus is the name of several writs which may be issued by a judge ordering a prisoner to be brought before the court. ... Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court in order to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail (skipping bail, or jumping bail, is also illegal). ...

Administrative divisions

Main article: Provinces of Finland, Subdivisions of Finland Finland consists of 6 provinces (Finnish: läänit, Swedish: län). ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

Finland has six provinces. Below the provincial level, they are divided into municipalities administered by councils elected by proportional representation once every four years. At the provincial level, the 5 mainland provinces are administered by provincial boards composed of civil servants, each headed by a presidentially appointed governor. The boards are responsible to the Ministry of the Interior and play a supervisory and coordinating role within the provinces. Mainland Finland (Manner-Suomi) is a term used for instance in statistics to exclude the autonomous Åland Islands under Finnish sovereignty. ...

The island province of Åland is located near the 60th parallel between Sweden and Finland. It enjoys local autonomy by virtue of an international convention of 1921, implemented most recently by the Act on Åland Self-Government of 1951. The islands are further distinguished by the fact that they are entirely Swedish-speaking. Government is vested in the provincial council, which consists of 30 delegates elected directly by Åland's citizens. National motto: none Official language Swedish Capital Mariehamn Governor Peter Lindbäck Premier Roger Nordlund Total Area  - Land  - Water 6,784 km² 1,527 km² 5,258 km² Population  - Total (2005)  - Density 26,711 17. ... Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... :-* 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ...

See also

• Political parties in Finland
• Foreign relations of Finland
• Politics of Åland
• Flag of Finland
• Comprehensive Income Policy Agreement

Political parties in Finland lists political parties in Finland. ... Finland’s basic foreign policy goal, from the end of the Continuation War with the U.S.S.R. in 1944 until 1991, was to avoid great-power conflicts and to build mutual confidence with the Soviet Union. ... The Åland Islands, or Landskapet Åland, in Swedish, is an autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish territory of Finland. ... Flag ratio: 11:18 Flag ratio: 11:18 Flag ratio: 11:19 The Flag of Finland or siniristilippu dates from the beginning of the 20th century, and is modelled on the Danish flag, the Dannebrog. ... The Comprehensive Income Policy Agreement (Finnish: tulopoliittinen kokonaisratkaisu) is a tri-lateral treaty crafted by the Finnish government together with employees and employers trade unions. ...

External links

• Finland in the CIA World Factbook