Legislative elections were held in

Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nations, it is the smallest region of Finland by both area () and population (30,54 ...

on 18 October 2015, alongside elections for sixteen municipal councils:Election on Åland, 18 October 2015
Ålandic Electoral Commission

Mariehamn Mariehamn ( , ; ; ) is the capital of Åland, an autonomous territory under Finnish sovereignty. Mariehamn is the seat of the Government and Parliament of Åland, and 40% of the population of Åland live in the city. It is mostly surrounded b ...

town, nine rural

socken Socken ( or ) is the name used for a part of a counties of Sweden, county in Sweden. In Denmark, similar areas are known as , in Norway or and in Finland or . A is a rural area formed around a church, typically in the Middle Ages. A socken ...

on the main island,

Fasta Åland Fasta Åland ( or , meaning mainland Åland) is the largest and most populous island of Åland, an autonomous province of Finland. The island is home to the provincial capital Mariehamn. About ninety percent of the archipelago's population lives ...

, and six

skerries A skerry is a small rocky island, usually defined to be too small for habitation. Skerry, skerries, or The Skerries may also refer to: Geography Northern Ireland *Skerries, County Armagh, a List of townlands in County Armagh#S, townland in Coun ...

socken.

Electoral system

The 30 members of the

Parliament of Åland The Parliament of Åland (''Ålands lagting'') is the unicameral legislature of Åland, an autonomous, Swedish-speaking region of Finland. The Lagting has 30 members who make laws for Åland and oversee its government. Committees Most parli ...

were elected by proportional representation, with seats allocated using the

d'Hondt method The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is an apportionment method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in proportional representation among political parties. It belongs to ...

Campaign

Seven parties contested the legislative elections, and the municipal elections in most municipalities, although the

Liberals for Åland The Liberals for Åland () is a liberal political party on the Åland Islands. The party is an observer member of the Liberal International. The current party leader is Katrin Sjögren. Elections See also * Liberalism Liberalism is ...

will be the only party to contest all municipalities. During the 2011–2015 parliamentary term the four MPs from the independent centre-right party

Non-aligned Coalition The Non-aligned Coalition () is a conservative political party on the Åland Islands. It was founded in 1987. In 2013 it was announced that the party would merge with the Moderates. All of the party's parliament members joined the Moderates to f ...

(ObS) merged into the conservative

Moderates Moderate is an ideological category which entails Centrism, centrist views on a liberal-conservative spectrum. It may also designate a rejection of radical politics, radical or extremism, extreme views, especially in regard to politics and religi ...

to become

Moderate Coalition for Åland The Moderate Coalition for Åland (, MS) is a liberal-conservative political party in Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of th ...

, but the rump of ObS will contest the 2015 elections, and has taken a critical stance against Syrian refugees with a "no to refugees" campaign movie. Another anti-refugee list, the populist Ålandic Democracy, which is led by Stephan Toivonen and also supports equal rights for Finnish speakers, will also be on the ballot. The regionalist and centrist

Åland Centre The Åland Centre () is an agrarian-centrist political party on the Åland Åland ( , ; ) is an Federacy, autonomous and Demilitarized zone, demilitarised region of Finland. Receiving its autonomy by a 1920 decision of the League of Nati ...

has called for Åland to establish its own foreign ministry and for the Ålandic healthcare board being appointed solely by the governing coalition rather than the existing system of being proportionally divided between parties. Other parties contesting the elections were the

Åland Social Democrats The Åland Social Democrats () is a social-democratic political party on the Åland Islands. In the 2023 parliamentary election, the party won 12.82% of the popular vote and 4 out of 30 seats, a gain of one. The current organisation was found ...

, the social-liberal centre-right Liberals for Åland, the centrist and separatist

Future of Åland The Future of Åland () is a separatist political party on Åland. As a member of the European Free Alliance, the goal of the party is to make Åland an independent state Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in ...

Opinion polls

Results

References

External links

Ålandic Electoral Commission
{{Åland elections Elections in Åland Aland Aland