MFA: County elections: 2,923 persons voted in advance abroad

Advance voting was possible at 93 polling stations in 69 countries. In addition, a possibility for advance voting was provided to the crew on board around twenty Finnish ships. Approximately one hundred crew members cast their vote on board. Advance voting was also arranged at the bases of the Finnish crisis management forces in Erbil, Iraq and in Jabal Marun, Lebanon.

Around 64 per cent of all votes were cast at the advance polling stations in Spain, a total of 1,866 votes (compared to 318 in the 2021 municipal elections), of which 998 votes were cast in Fuengirola (compared to 198 in the municipal elections).

The number of voters remained very low at most of the advance polling stations. There were five polling stations where not a single voter turned up to vote. In addition to Spain, the only countries where more votes were cast in the county elections than in the municipal elections were Iceland and Turkey. In Belgium, 117 voters used their right to vote, while the number of voters was 84 in Lebanon, 62 in Estonia and 50 in Russia.

It was also possible for eligible voters to vote by post from abroad. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Finns living abroad were encouraged to order the postal voting documents in advance, in case advance voting could not be arranged as planned. Advance voting had to be cancelled in two places due to the COVID-19 situation and in one place due to the unstable situation in the country in question.

Information about the number of postal votes cast is not yet available. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for organising the postal voting.

Inquiries: Leena Ritola, Director, Passport and Notarial Services Unit, tel. + 358 0295 351 524. The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.