According to the latest list of contenders, a record number of 24 parties aim to enter the 200-seat unicameral parliament in the April 2023 elections.
In the 2019 elections, candidates from 19 parties were running for parliament, meaning five more are in the running this time around.
Registering a political party requires 5,000 signatures which, as of 2021, can be collected electronically rather than in handwritten form. According to political scientists interviewed by Keskisuomalainen, this change is one of the main driving forces behind the high number of potential contenders.
However, how many of the 24 parties will eventually nominate candidates remains unknown. Asked by EURACTIV on Tuesday, the Director of Electoral Administration at the Ministry of Justice, Arto Jääskeläinen, said it is possible that some parties would not present candidates by the deadline of 22 February 2023.
In parliamentary elections, the country is divided into 13 electoral districts, each electing a number of representatives proportional to the number of citizens.
(Pekka Vänttinen | EURACTIV.com)
Source: euractiv.com
