Parliamentary election compasses have widely failed when it comes to EU questions. JEF Finland demands that election compasses give more visible consideration to key EU themes in how they frame their questions, since parliamentary elections are EU elections too.
Election compasses are a key channel for getting information about parliamentary election candidates, their opinions, and the central topics of political debate. Young people in particular have traditionally been heavy users of election compasses.
“Election compasses play an important role in shaping the election result and in Finnish democracy. It’s especially important that election compasses keep front and centre the questions that matter for our society’s future, many of which are related to the European Union” comments JEF Finland’s President Amanda Alvesalo.
Parliament doesn’t only decide on Finland’s domestic affairs – the decision-makers elected will gain considerable say over Finland’s position on European Union decisions. Compared with other countries, Finland’s Parliament wields significant EU-related power. Meanwhile, the EU is currently preparing numerous historic decisions that will have direct effects on Finnish legislation too.
Given the scale and impact of these decisions, EU questions should be at the forefront of political debate in the upcoming elections. At a minimum, there should be a question gauging candidates’ general attitude towards EU cooperation, so citizens can check their candidate’s stance on the EU. Even this isn’t the case in every election compass.
In some election compasses, EU questions focus on individual topics that have caused controversy. “Our gaze should stay on the bigger picture, such as attitudes towards common foreign and security policy, the fight against climate change, and the economy. It would be of paramount importance for party representatives to be required to take a stance on these important EU questions even before the elections” Alvesalo concludes.
Further information:
Amanda Alvesalo
President
[email protected]
+358 50 3216600