Kansanvalta.fi

Municipal self-governance is an important element of Finnish representative democracy.

Every four years municipal residents elect a municipal council to decide on local issues. Finnish municipalities have the power to collect taxes and make financial decisions about their own affairs. They are also largely responsible for the realisation of people’s basic economic, social and cultural rights.

In Finland basic services are produced by municipalities. The most important of these are related to education, social and health care services as well as the maintenance of technical infrastructure.

Municipal democracy is participatory democracy

Municipal democracy means that local residents have the opportunity to influence decisions related to the municipal community through direct and indirect means. These decisions can apply to issues such as the physical environment, service provision or municipal finances.

Provisions regarding residents’ participation and influence are laid down in the Constitution and the Local Government Act. People’s opportunities to influence are also guaranteed under other acts including the Act on the Openness of Government Activities, the Administrative Procedure Act, the Land Use and Building Act and the Act on the Status and Rights of Social Welfare Clients.

The Local Government Act stresses the importance of residents’ and service users’ direct influence and participation in representative democracy.

In practice, there are differences between municipalities in this respect. One of the main challenges in Finnish municipal democracy is to strengthen participatory democracy.

Councils are responsible for providing channels of participation

According to the Local Government Act, the municipal council must ensure people’s opportunities to participate and influence and actively promote the realisation of participatory democracy. Therefore, local people can demand their rights as voters and residents on the basis of this Act.

Chapter 4 of the Local Government Act lays down provisions on:

• the right to vote in municipal elections;
• the right to vote in municipal referenda;
• the responsibility of the council to ensure local residents’ opportunities to participate and influence;
• local residents’ right of initiative in matters related to municipal operations; 
• the local authorities’ obligation to keep residents informed;
• municipal referenda;
• referendum proposals.

According to the Act, local residents’ participation and influence can be furthered specifically by, among other things, finding out residents’ opinions before taking decisions, and by arranging municipal referenda.

User democracy means municipal residents’ opportunities to participate in decisions about their services. According to the Local Government Act, all or some of the members of a management board of a municipal organ can be elected at the proposal of service users.

Related links:
The Finnish Local Government Act [Localfinland.fi]
Localfinland.fi [The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities]

Updated on March 8, 2007