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Finland Page |
Welcome to ElectionInfo.com's pages on Finland
Official Name: Republic of Finland
Capital: Helsinki
Area: 338,130 square kilometres ( 130,553 square miles )
Major cities (Population)
Helsinki 497,542 (1991 estimate)
Tampere 173,797 (1991 estimate)
Turku 159,403 (1991 estimate)
Population 5,107,000 (1995 estimate)
Population growth rate: 0.5 per cent (1990-1995 average)
Type of government: Republic
Independence: 6 December 1917 (from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics [USSR])
Constitution: 17 July 1919
Voting Rights: Universal at age 18
Government
The president is directly elected for a six-year term. Martti Ahtisaari was elected president in 1994. The president appoints the prime minister and the Council of State (Valtioneuvosto). The one-chamber parliament (Eduskunta) has 200 members, directly elected by a form of proportional representation for four-year terms. The voting age is 18. There are more than 400 communes, which support local hospitals, schools, and fire and police stations.
Recent History
In 1917, after the Bolshevik revolution took place in Russia, Finland declared its independence, and in 1919 a democratic republic was proclaimed. In 1939, despite a treaty of non-aggression, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) attacked Finland and seized the northern Arctic territories and Finnish Karelia. Attempts to recover these territories failed, and at the end of World War II Finland was forced to cede more land and make reparations worth US$300 million (by the time reparations were completed in 1952, they totalled about US$570 million).
In 1948 the Finns signed a friendship treaty with the USSR that bound Finland to help resist any attack on the Soviet Union that involved Finnish territory. The treaty still allowed trade and good relations with the West, but it created a situation in which the USSR could influence Finnish foreign policy. In 1989 Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev officially recognized Finland’s neutrality for the first time.
In 1992 Finland and Russia signed a new treaty that recognized equality, sovereignty, and positive economic relations between Russia and Finland. Also in 1992, Finland decided to pursue closer links with Europe by applying for membership in the European Community, now the European Union (EU). In 1994 the EU accepted the application. After a national referendum, Finland joined the EU in January 1995. Martti Ahtisaari was elected president in 1994.
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