Freedom in the World 2018 - Finland

Freedom Status: Free
Aggregate Score: 100 (0 = Least Free, 100 = Most Free)
Freedom Rating: 1.0 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)
Political Rights: 1 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)
Civil Liberties: 1 (1 = Most Free, 7 = Least Free)

Quick Facts

Population: 5,500,000
Capital: Helsinki
GDP/capita: $42,420
Press Freedom Status: Free

OVERVIEW

Finland's parliamentary system features free and fair elections and robust multiparty competition. Corruption is not a significant problem, and freedoms of speech, religion, and association are respected. The judiciary is independent under the constitution and in practice. Women and ethnic minority groups enjoy equal rights, though harassment and hate speech aimed at minority groups does occur.

Key Developments in 2017:

• An assailant killed two women and injured eight other people in a knife attack in Turku, which was considered the country's first-ever terrorist attack. Security measures increased in response to the events.

• Finland's coalition government reconstituted after the controversial, anti-immigration Finns Party split into two separate parties. The split was precipitated by the Finns' election of a hardline right-wing party leader. His faction was left out of the new government.

• Same-sex marriage became legal in March.

• In May, the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) called on Finland to repeal laws requiring that transgender people undergo sterilization in order to change their legal gender.

POLITICAL RIGHTS: 40 / 40

A. ELECTORAL PROCESS: 12 / 12

The president, whose role is mainly ceremonial, is directly elected for up to two six-year terms. Former finance minister Sauli Niinistö of the National Coalition Party (KOK) handily won the presidency in 2012 elections considered broadly free and fair. The prime minister is head of government, and is selected by Finland's freely elected parliament.

Representatives in the 200-seat, unicameral parliament, the Eduskunta, are elected to four-year terms. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) deployed a preliminary elections assessment mission ahead of the 2015 parliamentary polls; its findings cited "a high level of confidence in all the aspects of the electoral process" and the OSCE consequently declined to monitor the polls. The Center Party (KESK) took the greatest number of seats, with 49, and formed a government with the KOK and the Finns Party; KESK leader Juha Sipilä became prime minister.

The OSCE, ahead of the 2015 polls, expressed concern about limits on election-related appeals processes, and the timely adjudication of such complaints. However, Finland's electoral laws are robust and generally well implemented by the relevant authorities.

B. POLITICAL PLURALISM AND PARTICIPATION: 16 / 16

Political parties are generally free to organize and operate, and rise and fall freely according to popular support and political developments. In June 2017, the anti-immigration Finns Party split into two separate parties following the controversial election of a hardline right-wing party leader. The former party leader and all of the Finns' government ministers formed a new party called New Alternative. The Finns Party was subsequently ejected from the government, after KESK and KOK formed a coalition with the New Alternative; together they hold 106 out of 200 seats.

Finland boasts a robust multiparty system with strong opposition parties.

People's political choices are generally free from domination by actors that are not democratically accountable.

Citizens from minority ethnic groups enjoy full political rights. The Åland Islands – an autonomous region located off the southwestern coast whose inhabitants speak Swedish – have their own 30-seat parliament, as well as one seat in the national legislature. The indigenous Sami of northern Finland have a legislature with limited powers, but they do not have guaranteed representation in the parliament. Women and women's interests are reasonably well-represented in politics, as are LGBT (lesbian, gay bisexual, and transgender) people and their specific interests.

C. FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT: 12 / 12

Finland's freely elected government representatives are able to effectively develop and implement policy.

Corruption is not a significant problem in Finland, and is generally punished under relevant laws when discovered.

Laws permitting access to public information are generally well enforced, though there are some limits on the disclosure of information related to national security, foreign affairs, and criminal investigations. All citizens including government officials are required by law to make public asset declarations, though there are no penalties for noncompliance.

CIVIL LIBERTIES: 60 / 60

D. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND BELIEF: 16 / 16

Freedom of expression is protected by Article 12 of the constitution and the 2003 Act on the Exercise of Freedom of Expression in Mass Media. Media outlets in Finland are typically independent and free from political pressure or censorship. Decreasing advertising spending continues to pose a challenge for the media sector, especially for print publications.

Religious freedom is guaranteed in the constitution and generally respected in practice. However, Jewish communities in Finland have reported a rise in anti-Semitic hate speech online in recent years. Some actors, including municipal-level public officials, have characterized a planned mosque complex in Helsinki as a security threat.

Academic freedom is generally respected.

There are no impediments to open and free private discussion.

E. ASSOCIATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RIGHTS: 12 / 12

Freedom of assembly is protected by law and upheld in practice.

Nongovernmental organizations operate without restriction.

Workers have the right to organize and bargain collectively, though public-sector workers who provide services deemed essential may not strike. Approximately 70 percent of workers belong to trade unions.

F. RULE OF LAW: 16 / 16

The constitution provides for an independent judiciary, and the courts operate without political interference in practice.

Due process is generally respected in Finland.

People in Finland generally enjoy freedom from violent attacks by state and nonstate actors. However, in August 2017, a Moroccan man who had arrived in Finland as an asylum seeker the previous year killed two women and injured eight additional people in a knife attack. The attacker appeared to target women, and the incident was being investigated as Finland's first terrorist attack. Police had previously flagged the man, who was arrested in the attack's wake, as an extremist risk, and Finland raised its emergency readiness across the country. Security at airports and train stations was increased and more police officers were put on the streets.

The constitution guarantees the Sami people cultural autonomy and the right to pursue their traditional livelihoods, which include fishing and reindeer herding. However, representatives of the community have said that they cannot exercise their rights in practice and that they do not have the right to self-determination with respect to land use. While Roma also make up a very small percentage of the Finnish population, they are more significantly disadvantaged and marginalized.

Women enjoy equal rights, but despite a law stipulating equal pay for equal work, women earn only about 85 percent as much as men with the same qualifications.

In 2016, Finland amended its asylum law to limit the aid available to asylum seekers. The amendments prompted concern from the UN refugee agency, which suggested that Finland abandoned good practices and sought to align its policies with the minimum required by international treaties governing the treatment of refugees.

G. PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS: 16 / 16

Individuals in Finland may move about freely. The country has one of the most expansive "freedom to roam" policies in the world, allowing people to use any public or private land for recreational purposes as long as the privacy of a private residence is not violated and no environmental damage is incurred.

Intellectual and physical property rights are upheld in Finland. There are no major obstacles to establishing a business, and the country boasts a well-regulated, transparent, and open economy.

People's social choices are for the most part unrestricted. However, legislation requires that transgender people be sterilized and have a mental health diagnosis in order to obtain legal recognition of their gender. In May, the UNHRC called for Finland to eliminate these impediments to legal gender recognition. The UNHRC has also recommended that Finland amend its criminal code to no longer define rape according to the degree of violence used by the perpetrator. Domestic violence is an ongoing concern.

A law allowing same-sex marriage took effect in March 2017.

Finland remains a destination and a transit country for men, women, and children who are subjected to sex trafficking and labor exploitation in various industries. According to the U.S. State Department, the government actively prosecutes trafficking offenses, and victims have access to protection and assistance, though victim identification remained a challenge, particularly child victims.

Separately, in January 2017, Finland launched a two-year trial of basic income for the unemployed aimed at reducing poverty and boosting employment.