Presidential election on Sunday 28 January 2024
Finland will hold its presidential election on Sunday 28 January 2024. In the election, Finnish citizens entitled to vote will elect the President of the Republic for a term of six years. The candidates stand for election in the entire country.
Schedule for the presidential election
The presidential election may consist of two rounds, if necessary. If one of the candidates receives more than half of the votes in the first round, that person is elected President. If none of the candidates receives more than half of the votes in the first round, a second round will be held between the two candidates who received the most votes in the first round.
The election day is Sunday 28 January 2024.
The advance voting period is from 17 to 23 January 2024 in Finland and from 17 to 20 January 2024 abroad.
The election day for the possible second round is Sunday 11 February 2024.
The advance voting period is from 31 January to 6 February 2024 in Finland and from 31 January to 3 February 2024 abroad.
Finnish citizens who have reached the age of 18 have the right to vote
All Finnish citizens who reach the age of 18 years no later than on 28 January 2024 are entitled to vote in the upcoming election, regardless of their place of residence. The same voting register will be used in the first round and in the possible second round, which means that the same persons are entitled to vote in both rounds.
The Digital and Population Data Services Agency has sent a polling card to all eligible voters either by post or electronically via Suomi.fi Messages. The polling card has been sent electronically to those eligible voters who have activated Suomi.fi Messages and given their consent for official messages to be sent via the service.
Candidates
The constituency electoral committee of Helsinki confirmed the nomination of candidates for the presidential election on 21 December 2023. The candidates and their candidate numbers can be found in the Information and Result Service.
Proving identity at polling station
Voters must present proof of their identity at the polling station. Official photo IDs, such as passports, identity cards issued by the police and driving licences, are accepted as proof of identity.
Advance voting in Finland and abroad
Eligible voters may vote in advance at any of the general advance polling stations in Finland or abroad.
The addresses and opening hours of the advance polling stations in Finland and abroad are available in the Information and Result Service and in the Polling Station Service of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency at www.aanestyspaikat.fi.
Voters having questions concerning advance polling stations or other matters related to the presidential election may also contact the free Elections Helpline provided by the Ministry of Justice:
- 0800 9 4770 (service in Finnish and English)
- 0800 9 4771 (service in Swedish and English)
Voters can also send election-related questions on WhatsApp (050 438 8730).
Persons whose ability to move and function is so limited that they are unable to go to a polling station without unreasonable difficulty may vote in advance in their own home. Those who wish to vote in advance in their home must notify the central municipal election board of their municipality of this by 16.00 on Tuesday 16 January 2024.
Persons residing or staying abroad for the entire advance voting period and on election day may vote by post from abroad. An eligible voter wishing to vote by post must order the postal voting documents to an address located abroad in advance, cast their vote after receiving the documents, and send the ballot to the central municipal election board of their municipality in Finland. Postal votes must arrive at the right central municipal election board by 19.00 on Friday 26 January 2024. In the possible second round, postal votes must arrive by 19.00 on Friday 9 February 2024. More detailed instructions are available at https://vaalit.fi/en/postal-voting.
Voting on election day 28 January 2024
All polling stations will be open on election day from 9.00 to 20.00. On election day, voters may only vote at the polling station specified in the polling card sent to them before the election. Voters may also search for their election day polling station by entering their home address in the Polling Station Service of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency at www.aanestyspaikat.fi.
Calculation of election results
The counting of advance votes will be started on election day while the voting still continues. The preliminary counting of votes cast on election day will be started once the polling stations have closed. Preliminary information about the vote count will be published at 20.00 on election day, when the counting of advance votes is expected to be complete. The preliminary election results will be available during the evening and the following night.
A recount of votes will be conducted in the constituency electoral committees on Monday 29 January. The constituency electoral committee of Helsinki confirms the number of votes cast for each candidate in the entire country on Tuesday 30 January. After this, the Ministry of Justice will state whether a second round will be conducted or not. The confirmed results of the possible second round will be published on Wednesday 14 February after 18.00.
The term of office of the President of the Republic begins on the first day of the month following the election, in other words on 1 February 2024 if only one round is conducted, or on 1 March 2024 if two rounds are conducted.
Inquiries:
Arto Jääskeläinen, Director of Electoral Administration, tel. +358 2951 50128, [email protected]
Laura Nurminen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 2951 50008, [email protected]
Elina Rissanen, Senior Specialist, tel. +358 2951 50248, [email protected]
Information and election results are available at tieto- ja tulospalvelu.fi
- Advance polling stations and their opening hours
- Candidates and candidate numbers
- Number of advance voters (updated every hour, also on weekends)
- Progress of the preliminary vote count on election day
- Confirmed final results once the recount of votes is complete on Wednesday 30 January
Read more about the presidential election and voting at www.electionsfinland.fi
The Polling Station Service of the Digital and Population Data Services Agency www.aanestyspaikat.fi.
Electionsfinland.fi on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vaalit.fi
Election videos on Youtube https://www.youtube.com/user/oikeusministerio/playlists
