At Stake in this Election: 

• The Presidency of Finland

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Sauli NIINISTÖ (since 1 March 2012) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Petteri ORPO (since 20 June 2023) 

• Assembly: unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta) with 200 seats

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by absolute majority vote in up to two rounds. The president may serve up to two 6-year terms.  

• The Prime Minister is appointed by Parliament.  

• 199 members of Parliament are directly elected in single and multi-seat constituencies via proportional representation vote. The remaining member, who represents the autonomous region of Åland, is directly elected by plurality vote. All members serve 4-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In the 2018 presidential election, incumbent Sauli NIINISTÖ won in the first round with 62.6% of the vote, defeating seven other candidates. Voter turnout was 70.71%.

Information for Voters: 

Tasavallan presidentin vaali 2024 (in Finnish) 

Information about the Presidential Election (20 different languages)

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 12 December 2023 at 16:00 

• Voter registration deadline: N/A; Finland uses a passive, residence-based voter registration system. Voter residence data was collected on 8 December 2023.

Main Candidates in this Election: 

• Li ANDERSSON 

• Left Alliance / Vasemmistoliitto 

• Olli REHN 

• Centre Party / Suomen Keskusta 

• Harry HARKIMO 

• Movement Now / Liike Nyt 

• Jussi HALLA-AHO 

• Finns Party / Perussuomalaiset 

• Jutta URPILAINEN 

• Social Democratic Party / Suomen Sosialidemokraattinen Puolue 

• Mika AALTOLA 

• Independent (supported by a voters’ association) 

• Alexander STUBB 

• National Coalition / Kansallinen Kokoomus 

• Sari ESSAYAH 

• Christian Democratic Party of Finland / Suomen Kristillisdemokraatit (KD) 

• Pekka HAAVISTO 

• Independent (supported by a voters’ association)

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 5,556,110 (2022 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 4,553,030 (2024)

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 2,810,710 (2022 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Signed 17 July 1980, Ratified 4 September 1986 

• Gender Quota:  No 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 92 out of 200 (46%) in the Parliament 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.940, Very High, Rank 11 (2021) 

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 12.1 (2023)

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 30 March 2007, Ratified 11 May 2016 

• Projected population with a disability: 888,978 (2022 est.)

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Finland: No   

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 1 judgement and 15 resources