Sasi continues local election candidacy despite dismissal as Deputy Mayor of Tampere

Ilkka Sasi, the former Deputy Mayor of Tampere and a member of the National Coalition Party (Kokoomus), will continue his candidacy for local elections. According to Ilpo Rantanen, the chair of the National Coalition Party’s Tampere regional organization, a decision to appoint Sasi as a candidate, made on May 17, remains in effect and is not up for reconsideration.

Sasi was dismissed from his position as Deputy Mayor during a city council meeting on September 16 due to a loss of confidence from council members. In August, he had been temporarily removed from both the National Coalition Party and the Swedish People’s Party’s (RKP) council group due to inappropriate conduct and a breach of trust.

Rantanen stated that Sasi’s candidacy stands as a separate matter and all factors could be subject to a comprehensive evaluation. “We have not sought to investigate how the decision about Sasi’s candidacy could be reversed, nor have any grounds emerged for this,” he said, emphasizing that the ultimate assessment of trust lies with the voters.

In the 2021 local elections, Sasi received 1,224 votes, marking him as the fourth-highest vote-getter for his party in Tampere.

Rantanen further noted that Sasi’s other positions were not influenced by the fact that he was not nominated as a candidate in the 2023 parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, the council group plans to review Sasi’s dismissal at their upcoming meeting on October 14.

Local elections are scheduled to coincide with regional elections on April 13, 2025.