The rescheduled municipal election in Finland kicked off today with the advance voting which will run from May 26 to June 8. Some of the candidates informed their supporters on social media that they have voted and encouraged them to do same.
A report from Yle indicates that for the first time, voters are able to cast ballots from the safety of their own car, with drive-in stations set up across the country. People travelling by foot or cycle can also vote at outdoor polls.
A shocking revelation from Helsingin Sanomat says that a large number of the candiates running for the municipal election have a criminal record and their parties deliberately keeping the criminal record information from the public. The Newspaper revealed that from 2016 to 2021, a total number of 59 candidates were convicted for a record number of 97 crimes which ranges from drunk driving, aggravated drunk driving, assault and drug offences. Voters are currently unable to access information related to candidates’ criminal backgrounds in Finland, the reports says.
The Finns Party that embraces nativist identity politics of Finnish nationalism with policies and ideologies that are anti-immigrants topped the list, followed by the Swedish People’s Party of Finland.
