Jääskeläinen proposes division of Uusimaa electoral district in Finland

Arto Jääskeläinen, the head of electoral affairs at Finland’s Ministry of Justice, is proposing a significant change to Finland’s electoral district boundaries. He believes that the Uusimaa electoral district should be divided into at least two parts. “In my personal opinion, the Uusimaa district is already somewhat larger compared to others. It could be split into two or perhaps even three parts. This has worked well in the division of welfare areas,” Jääskeläinen said.

Currently, Uusimaa elects 37 representatives, but a recently published forecast suggests that this number could rise to as many as 39 by 2040. The allocation of seats is based on the population of the region.

In contrast, Lapland receives six representatives, while Satakunta has eight. To secure the first seat from Uusimaa, a party requires just 2.3% of the votes, while in Lapland, that figure is as high as 14%. This results in varying electoral thresholds across regions.

“If the hidden electoral threshold remains exceptionally low, it creates opportunities for very small parties. This could lead to a scenario where the Parliament has several one-person parties, all originating from Uusimaa,” Jääskeläinen noted. Conversely, smaller parties in Lapland and Satakunta face significant challenges in electing candidates.

According to Jääskeläinen, the government’s program has already committed to reviewing the situation in Lapland. “If the electoral district is too small, as is the case in Satakunta and Lapland, the percentage of votes required to win the first seat becomes quite high. This means only large parties have a viable chance to get candidates elected in these smaller districts.” Jääskeläinen expects Uusimaa and Pirkanmaa to be winners based on population forecasts, a trend already reflected in Statistics Finland’s projections.