Portal:Politics/Selected article/2007, week 29

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The 2007 Finnish parliamentary election was held on March 18, 2007. Early voting was possible from 7th to 13th of March. Two hundred MPs were elected from 15 constituencies.

Election themes included a reduction of income tax  and VAT on food. A proposal for a guaranteed minimum income has been introduced by some parties. The election debates were characterized by the high economic growth in Finland in recent years, which means that the government will probably have extra money to use on welfare services and transfer payments.

Altogether, 2,004 candidates were nominated, 799 of whom were women. About three quarters of the candidates were nominated by parties currently represented in Parliament. The number of female MPs rose as 84 women were elected (formerly 75), now representing a record 42% of the 200 MPs.

According to the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat, the number of advance voters rose by comparison with the previous election in 2003. After the Tuesday before the Sunday election, when the advance voting ended, the voter turnout had already reached 29.2%, which is more than at the same point in the 2003 elections. Total voter turnout, at 67.8%, fell short of the 2003 figure, 69.7%, reaching a new low since the 1939 elections.