Politics of Åland
Encyclopedia
Politics of the Åland Islands takes place in a framework of a parliamentary
representative democratic
autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish territory of Finland
, whereby the Lantråd
is the head of government
, and of a multi-party system
.
The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on Åland Autonomy and international treaties, which guarantees autonomy and demilitarized status. The Government of Åland
, or Landskapsregering, is dependent on the Parliament of Åland
, or Lagting, according to the principles of parliamentarism.
In 1634, Åland was made part of the Åbo and Björneborg County
as a part of the grand administrative reforms initiated by count Axel Oxenstierna
. The county became part of the Russian Empire
within the Grand Duchy of Finland
in 1809, when Sweden was forced to cede vast areas in the Napoleonic Wars
. When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the newly established state inherited the Åland islands.
During the Civil War
in 1918, some Russian troops were still stationed on the islands, causing serious instability and nervousness. This anxiety in the local population, and in the other Scandinavia
n states, resulted in a Swedish occupation and 7,135 people (of a total population of approximately 22,500 at the time) signing the address for Åland joining the kingdom of Sweden. The fear of Russia finally resulted in a German
occupation of the islands. In the mean time, the Finnish press was playing with the idea of an exchange of land areas between Sweden and Finland. The areas in question of this exchange would have been the Swedish speaking Åland to Sweden and some Finnish speaking areas of Norrbotten
and Västerbotten
to Finland. The response from the Swedish government was bluntly negative to any exchanges of this nature.
In 1921 the question of Åland was brought to the council of League of Nations
. The council decided unanimously, that the islands would remain under Finland's sovereignty
, but stated that the native population's rights to their own language had to be preserved, that the area had to stay demilitarized and that Åland was granted autonomy during peace time.
Åland has its own national flag, has issued its own postage stamps since 1984, has its own police force
, and is a member of the Nordic Council
. The islands are demilitarised, and the male population is exempted from conscription. Parliamentarism has been the custom since 1988. The Åland autonomy preceded the creation of the Regions of Finland
, but the autonomous government of Åland also handles what the regional councils do.
The sovereignty over Åland belongs to Finland, and Åland is thus not independent. The Åland Islands are guaranteed representation
in the Finnish parliament
, and elect one representative.
|Viveka Eriksson
|LÅ
|2003
|-
|Other Government parties
|
|ÅC
|
|}
Åland does not only have its own Government of Åland
(Ålands Landskapsregering), there is also a Åland State Provincial Office
(Länsstyrelsen på Åland), led by a governor, Peter Lindbäck
.
(Lagtinget, which means Law Thing
) has 30 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation
.
Parliamentary system
A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch get their democratic legitimacy from the legislature and are accountable to that body, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined....
representative democratic
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish territory of Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, whereby the Lantråd
Lantråd
Lantråd is the title of the Head of Government of the Åland Islands, an autonomous and unilingually Swedish-speaking territory of Finland.The current Lantråd is mrs...
is the head of government
Head of government
Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
, and of a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...
.
The Åland Islands are governed according to the Act on Åland Autonomy and international treaties, which guarantees autonomy and demilitarized status. The Government of Åland
Government of Åland
The Landskapsregering is the government of Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland. The government is led by a Lantråd, the premier of Åland, who is elected by the Lagting, the parliament of Åland.-List of Premiers of Åland :...
, or Landskapsregering, is dependent on the Parliament of Åland
Parliament of Åland
The Lagting, or Lagtinget, is the parliament of Åland, an autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish-speaking territory of Finland. The Lagting has 30 seats.- Elections :- See also :*Government of Åland, or Ålands landskapsregering...
, or Lagting, according to the principles of parliamentarism.
In 1634, Åland was made part of the Åbo and Björneborg County
Åbo and Björneborg County
Turku and Pori Province was a province of independent Finland from 1917 to 1997. The province was however founded as a county in 1634 when today's Finland was an integrated part of Sweden. It is named after the cities of Turku and Pori ....
as a part of the grand administrative reforms initiated by count Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Oxenstierna
Axel Gustafsson Oxenstierna af Södermöre , Count of Södermöre, was a Swedish statesman. He became a member of the Swedish Privy Council in 1609 and served as Lord High Chancellor of Sweden from 1612 until his death. He was a confidant of first Gustavus Adolphus and then Queen Christina.Oxenstierna...
. The county became part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
within the Grand Duchy of Finland
Grand Duchy of Finland
The Grand Duchy of Finland was the predecessor state of modern Finland. It existed 1809–1917 as part of the Russian Empire and was ruled by the Russian czar as Grand Prince.- History :...
in 1809, when Sweden was forced to cede vast areas in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. When Finland declared its independence in 1917, the newly established state inherited the Åland islands.
During the Civil War
Finnish Civil War
The Finnish Civil War was a part of the national, political and social turmoil caused by World War I in Europe. The Civil War concerned control and leadership of The Grand Duchy of Finland as it achieved independence from Russia after the October Revolution in Petrograd...
in 1918, some Russian troops were still stationed on the islands, causing serious instability and nervousness. This anxiety in the local population, and in the other Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n states, resulted in a Swedish occupation and 7,135 people (of a total population of approximately 22,500 at the time) signing the address for Åland joining the kingdom of Sweden. The fear of Russia finally resulted in a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
occupation of the islands. In the mean time, the Finnish press was playing with the idea of an exchange of land areas between Sweden and Finland. The areas in question of this exchange would have been the Swedish speaking Åland to Sweden and some Finnish speaking areas of Norrbotten
Norrbotten
Norrbotten is a Swedish province in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland.- Administration :...
and Västerbotten
Västerbotten
', English exonym: West Bothnia, is a province or landskap in the north of Sweden. It borders Ångermanland, Lapland, Norrbotten and the Gulf of Bothnia. It is famous for the cheese with the same name as the province.- Administration :...
to Finland. The response from the Swedish government was bluntly negative to any exchanges of this nature.
In 1921 the question of Åland was brought to the council of League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
. The council decided unanimously, that the islands would remain under Finland's sovereignty
Sovereignty
Sovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
, but stated that the native population's rights to their own language had to be preserved, that the area had to stay demilitarized and that Åland was granted autonomy during peace time.
Åland has its own national flag, has issued its own postage stamps since 1984, has its own police force
Law enforcement in Åland
Law enforcement in the Åland Islands is the responsibility of the Police Authority of the Åland Islands, a unit independent of the mainland Finnish police , which answers to the Åland unit of the...
, and is a member of the Nordic Council
Nordic Council
The Nordic Council is a geo-political, inter-parliamentary forum for co-operation between the Nordic countries. It was established following World War II and its first concrete result was the introduction in 1952 of a common labour market and free movement across borders without passports for the...
. The islands are demilitarised, and the male population is exempted from conscription. Parliamentarism has been the custom since 1988. The Åland autonomy preceded the creation of the Regions of Finland
Regions of Finland
Finland consists of 19 regions called in Finnish and in Swedish. The regions are governed by regional councils, which serve as forums of cooperation for the municipalities of a region. The main tasks of the regions are regional planning and development of enterprise and education. In addition,...
, but the autonomous government of Åland also handles what the regional councils do.
Åland Representation in the Parliament of Finland
Though Åland, an autonomous region of Finland, has its own parliament, it also elects a representative to the Finnish parliament. Åland became its own Finnish electoral district in 1948. Åland had previously been a part of the same electoral district as Varsinais-Suomi. Of the fifteen Finnish...
in the Finnish parliament
Parliament of Finland
The Eduskunta , is the parliament of Finland. The unicameral parliament has 200 members and meets in the Parliament House in Helsinki. The latest election to the parliament took place on April 17, 2011.- Constitution :...
, and elect one representative.
Executive branch
!align=left|Lantråd|Viveka Eriksson
Viveka Eriksson
Viveka Eriksson or Viveca Eriksson is a politician on the autonomous Åland Islands and the current Premier of the Government of Åland...
|LÅ
Liberals for Åland
The Liberals for Åland is a liberal political party of the Åland Islands. The party is an observer at Liberal International. At the 2007 legislative elections, the party won 10 out of 30 seats. The current party leader is Viveka Eriksson.-Elections:...
|2003
|-
|Other Government parties
|
|ÅC
Åland Centre
The Åland Centre is a centrist, agrarian political party in the Åland Islands.At the 2003 elections, the party won 24.1 % of popular votes and 7 out of 30 seats. On the October 21st, 2007, parliamentary elections, the party won 23.5 % of the popular vote and 8 out of 30 seats.- External links :*...
|
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Åland does not only have its own Government of Åland
Government of Åland
The Landskapsregering is the government of Åland, an autonomous territory of Finland. The government is led by a Lantråd, the premier of Åland, who is elected by the Lagting, the parliament of Åland.-List of Premiers of Åland :...
(Ålands Landskapsregering), there is also a Åland State Provincial Office
Åland State Provincial Office
The State Provincial Office on the Åland Islands represented the Finnish central government on the Åland Islands between 1918 and 2009. Due to its autonomy, it had somewhat different functions than similar offices in other Provinces of Finland...
(Länsstyrelsen på Åland), led by a governor, Peter Lindbäck
Peter Lindbäck
Peter Lindbäck is the governor of the Åland Islands.He was born in 1955 and studied at the University of Helsinki, from which he graduated in law in 1981.Lindbäck was appointed governor of the Åland Islands on 5...
.
Legislative branch
The Parliament of ÅlandParliament of Åland
The Lagting, or Lagtinget, is the parliament of Åland, an autonomous, demilitarised and unilingually Swedish-speaking territory of Finland. The Lagting has 30 seats.- Elections :- See also :*Government of Åland, or Ålands landskapsregering...
(Lagtinget, which means Law Thing
Thing (assembly)
A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
) has 30 members, elected for a four year term by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
Political parties and elections
See also
- Politics of FinlandPolitics of FinlandPolitics of Finland takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic and of a multi-party system. The President of Finland is the head of state, leads the foreign policy, and is the Commander-in-chief of the Defense Forces. The Prime Minister of Finland is the head...
- TingThing (assembly)A thing was the governing assembly in Germanic and introduced into some Celtic societies, made up of the free people of the community and presided by lawspeakers, meeting in a place called a thingstead...
- Swedish Assembly of FinlandSwedish Assembly of FinlandThe Swedish Assembly of Finland is an official consultative parliament representing the Swedish-speaking minority in Finland.-Elections:Elections are held every four years, and candidates are nominated by the political parties which are either bilingual or Swedish-speaking...
, or Folktinget
External links
- Lagtinget - Official site
- Landskapsregeringen - Official site
- Act on Åland Autonomy - at Lagtinget