Eligibility
Eligible to stand as a candidate is:
1) every Finnish citizen entitled to vote and not legally incompetent
and
2) every citizen of a Member State of the EU who is entitled to vote and who has registered with and been entered into the voting register in Finland, and who has not lost the right to enter as a candidate in elections in his/her home state.
Form for registration of the right to vote in the voting register in Finland.
However, a member of the European Parliament cannot be:
1) A member of the Council of State;
2) A member of the European Commission;
3) A Judge, Advocate-General or Registrar of the European Court of Justice or of the Court of First Instance;
4) A member of the executive board of the European Central Bank;
5) A member of the European Court of Auditors;
6) The European Ombudsman;
7) A member of the Economic and Social Committees for the European Community or the European Atomic Energy Community;
8) A member of the Committee of Regions;
9) A member of a Committee or another body responsible for the permanent administration or finances of the Community as is provided in the Treaties regarding the European Community and the European Atomic Energy Community;
10) A member of the Board of Directors and Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank and a member of staff of the European Investment Bank;
11) An official or a staff member working in the service of a body or a specialist organisation of the European Community;
12) A person who is in a post or a position that impedes membership of a Parliament as is provided in the constitution.
Nomination of Candidates
Candidates in European elections may be nominated
1) by parties entered into the party register and
2) by constituency associations established by people entitled to vote.
The candidates enter as candidates in the entire country. Each party may nominate at most 20 candidates. Parties may form electoral alliances, but the maximum number of candidates remains the same, i.e. 20. A constituency association for the nomination of one candidate may be established by at least 2000 people entitled to vote. Such associations may form joint lists with a maximum of 20 candidates.
A party or constituency association has to submit its list of candidates (candidate application) to the Electoral District Committee of Helsinki not later than 40 days prior to election. However, the deadline for submitting candidate applications for the 2024 elections to the European Parliament is exceptionally at 16.00 on Thursday 30 April 2024. The same deadline applies to notices of electoral alliances and joint lists. To submit its list of candidates a party or constituency association may use the forms compiled in compliance with the decision of Ministry of Justice. These forms for candidate nomination are available on the Ministry's web site in Finnish and Swedish in Pdf-format. Further information on the application is available from The Electoral District Committee of Helsinki.
The Electoral District Committee of Helsinki examines the lists of candidates, especially whether the candidates are eligible, and confirms the nomination of candidates on 10 May 2024. The Committee compiles a combined list of candidates in which the candidates of all parties, constituency associations and joint lists are enumerated in an order drawn by lot. The combined list contains the following information on the candidates: number (beginning with number 2), name, municipality of residence and title, profession or position. The combined list of candidates is displayed i.a. in the polling booths.