Longer period proposed for advance voting in municipal polls

The government on Friday has submitted to the parliament a proposal to reschedule the upcoming municipal elections, said the Ministry of Justice in a press release on Friday.

Earlier, on 6 March, the government decided to defer the elections, originally slated for 18 April, to 13 June, considering the country’s coronavirus situation.

According to the proposal, the 2021 municipal elections will be held on 13 June. The advance voting period would be from 26 May to 8 June in Finland and from 2 to 5 June abroad.

The government proposes that the advance voting period in Finland be exceptionally extended to two weeks. In addition, the government proposes support for municipalities to cover the extra costs caused by the extension of the advance voting period.

The applications for candidature submitted earlier would still be valid.

However, it would be possible to make changes to the applications and submit new applications until 4 May.

The party secretaries of the parliamentary parties decided to propose the postponement of the municipal elections. The final decision on the postponement of the elections will be made by the parliament.