An Introduction to the Finnish Electoral Context

In this chapter, we present an introductory overview of Finnish politics, highlighting its unique characteristics and providing the necessary context for the subsequent analysis of Finnish political behavior in the following 15 chapters. Finland, due to its sensitive geopolitical position and a shared border with Russia spanning over 1,300 km, exhibits intriguing political dynamics. However, despite these factors, Finland is widely regarded as a typical Western European democracy today. One notable feature of Finnish politics is the personalized open-list proportional electoral system, which brings distinct dynamics to the political arena and election campaigns. Additionally, the country has a strong tradition of consensus-oriented politics and often experiences oversized coalition governments. These aspects are thoroughly explored to ensure that readers have a solid foundation to comprehend the analyses of Finnish political behavior that will follow. To conclude the chapter, we provide a brief overview of the thematic chapters included in this book, outlining their content and setting the stage for the subsequent in-depth examination of Finnish politics.