Helsingin Sanomat has revealed that a large proportion of municipal election candidates have a criminal record, and the parties have deliberately chosen not to disclose this information to the public.
A total of 59 candidates in the Helsinki metropolitan area have been convicted of crimes in 2016-2021.
Finland will introduce advance voting
Advance voting in municipal elections will include run-in and outdoor options this year as a way to increase safety and ensure compliance with COVID-19 guidelines.
Entrance interrogatories have been modeled with COVID-19 test stations. Voters can drive up to the area where they will receive a ballot after issuing the required credentials.
They then vote on the privacy of their car and place it in a sealed envelope that is passed to the constituency election commissions. Voters are encouraged to bring their own pens and face masks, and they must maintain social distance at all times.
Several municipal candidates in the Helsinki metropolitan area have a criminal record
According to a report by Helsingin Sanomat, 59 candidates running for municipal elections have been convicted of a total of 97 crimes in 2016–2021. Voters do not currently have access to information related to applicants’ criminal background in Finland.
The Finnish party is known to have the most candidates in criminal law, followed by the Swedish People’s Party of Finland. Most convictions were for drunk driving, aggravated driving, assault, and drug offenses.
Tahira Sequeira
Helsinki Times
Source: The Nordic Page