Celebrity candidates are becoming rare in Finnish politics

Public figures are increasingly scarce on parliamentary election lists, with former ice hockey player Timo Jutila among the few celebrity candidates in the lists now being finalised, Yle reports in an analysis.

A celebrity candidate is someone whose credentials come from fields such as entertainment or sport, rather than a party’s youth organisation or an academic expert career. Other potential celebrity candidates include radio host Jone Nikula, actor and director Petteri Summanen, and actor Riku Nieminen, who is standing for a second time. A 2020 study by the Ministry of Justice also found that the number of celebrity candidates had declined.

Yle’s analysis points to a more hostile political climate as one reason fewer public figures may be willing to run. Candidates are expected to know their subjects, or at least be prepared to study them, and mistakes can draw harsher criticism. Social media can preserve old remarks for a long time, while voters may also reward lowbrow posts at the ballot box, the analysis says.

Being famous does not guarantee success in politics. Some candidates win few votes, while others withdraw before election day. Former ice hockey player Jere Karalahti, who ran for Movement Now in the last parliamentary election, said partway through the campaign that he was not interested enough to continue. He still received more than 400 votes. Tony Halme of the Finns Party won more than 16,000 votes in the 2003 election, but had little political influence, according to the analysis.

Some candidates go on to establish themselves as politicians. Examples include Christian Democrats leader and Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah, National Coalition Party MP Pauli Kiuru, who is serving his fourth term, and National Coalition Party MP Sinuhe Wallinheimo, a former ice hockey player. Former pole vaulter Antti Kalliomäki of the Social Democratic Party became a minister after his sporting career and served in the role for almost 3,000 days. Tanja Karpela, who came from the beauty industry, was culture minister for nearly 1,500 days.

The analysis says the decline in celebrity candidates may reflect both a harsher public debate and greater self-awareness about the demands of the job. Serving successfully as an MP requires sustained work on policy, committee work and the ability to withstand criticism from the public and media.

The number of MPs also periodically becomes a subject of public debate. The Ministry of Finance estimated this autumn that Finland could save about nine million euros a year by reducing the number of MPs from 200 to 150. The number is set by the constitution and has remained at 200 for 120 years.