There are thirteen constituencies in Finland, nowadays called
electoral district
An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other polity ...
s by the
Finnish Parliament
The Parliament of Finland ( ; ) is the unicameral and supreme legislature of Finland, founded on 9 May 1906. In accordance with the Constitution of Finland, sovereignty belongs to the people, and that power is vested in the Parliament. The ...
.
(The English word "constituency" is confusing due to its various meanings.) The citizens of each electoral district elect from 6 to 35 MPs (members of parliament), depending on the population of the district, but
05 Åland only elects one. The boundaries of the electoral districts are based on the
province division in use from 1634 to 1997 and has remained basically the same since the
first parliamentary election in 1907. In 1939, the constituency of Northern Oulu was divided between the constituencies of
Lapland and
Oulu
Oulu ( , ; sv, Uleåborg ) is a city, municipality and a seaside resort of about 210,000 inhabitants in the region of North Ostrobothnia, Finland. It is the most populous city in northern Finland and the fifth most populous in the country after: ...
. The constituency of Southern Oulu was renamed to Oulu in the process. After the
Continuation War
The Continuation War, also known as the Second Soviet-Finnish War, was a conflict fought by Finland and Nazi Germany against the Soviet Union from 1941 to 1944, as part of World War II.; sv, fortsättningskriget; german: Fortsetzungskrieg. A ...
, the electoral districts of Eastern and Western Viipuri, which lost much of their territories to the Soviet Union, were united to the new
constituency of Kymi. At the same time, Åland became a distinct constituency. In 1954,
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
was cut from the
constituency of Uusimaa. In 1962, the southern and northern
Vaasa constituencies were united. In 2015, the constituencies of
Kymi Kymi may refer to:
*Kymi, Greece, a town in Euboea, Greece
*Kymi, Finland, a former municipality in Finland
*Kymi (constituency), a constituency in the Finnish Parliament
*Kymi (region), or ''Kymenlaakso'', the region of Finland
*Kymi B.C., a basket ...
and
Southern Savonia
South Savo (or Southern Savonia; fi, Etelä-Savo; sv, Södra Savolax) is a region in the south-east of Finland. It borders the regions of North Savo, North Karelia, South Karelia, Kymenlaakso, Päijät-Häme, and Central Finland. The total are ...
were united, forming the
constituency of South-Eastern Finland; similarly, the constituencies of
Northern Savonia
North Savo (or Northern Savonia; fi, Pohjois-Savo; sv, Norra Savolax) is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of South Savo, Central Finland, North Ostrobothnia, Kainuu, and North Karelia. Kuopio is the largest city in the regi ...
and
North Karelia
North Karelia ( fi, Pohjois-Karjala; sv, Norra Karelen) is a region in eastern Finland. It borders the regions of Kainuu, North Savo, South Savo and South Karelia, as well as Russia's Republic of Karelia. It is the easternmost region of Fin ...
were united to form the constituency of
Savonia-Karelia.
Constituencies
The number of seats per constituency are based on the
2015 parliamentary election.
References
External links
Vaalipiiritat the Finnish Ministry of Justice.
{{Europe topic, Electoral districts of
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
Finland politics-related lists