Ehdokasasettelu

Ehdokasasettelu is the term used to describe the process by which political parties and independent groups nominate and arrange candidates for elections and submit the candidate lists to the election authority. The process determines who can stand in elections and the order in which candidates appear on ballots (ehdokaslistat). In Finland, lists are prepared by parties and district associations, and independent candidates can form their own lists. The candidate list must be submitted by a defined deadline to the local election office (vaalitoimisto) for municipal and other elections. The order of candidates within a list affects the prospects of seats through the proportional representation system; voters can usually vote for a candidate within a list, which gives that candidate personal votes in addition to party votes. The final seat allocation uses the D'Hondt method; the distribution of seats between lists is determined by party totals, while within a list the candidate with the most personal votes tends to fill seats allocated to that list.

Ehdokasasettelu is governed by the Finnish Elections Act (vaalilaki) and related provisions; rules cover who may stand, how lists are formed, how many candidates a list may contain, how numbers are assigned to candidates, and submission procedures. In elections, the process is crucial for campaign strategy and representation, and transparent rules aim to ensure fairness and broad participation.