Candidate eligibility and nomination of candidates
A person is eligible to stand as a candidate in county elections if the person
- resides in the wellbeing services county in question (meaning that their municipality of residence belongs to the wellbeing services county in question),
- has the right to vote in the county elections in a wellbeing services county, and
- is not without legal capacity.
Provisions on the restrictions on candidate eligibility are laid down in section 77 of the Act on Wellbeing Services Counties. Under the Act, the following persons are not eligible for election to a county council:
- central government officials who perform supervisory tasks directly concerning a wellbeing services county;
- persons employed by a wellbeing services county who work in a senior position within an area of responsibility of the county executive or a board or in an unincorporated county enterprise, or in another comparable position of responsibility;
- persons employed by a corporate entity or foundation under the control of a wellbeing services county who, in terms of their position, are comparable to persons employed by a wellbeing services county as referred to in paragraph 2;
- persons employed by a joint county authority for wellbeing services, of which the wellbeing services county in question is a member, who, in terms of their position, are comparable to persons employed by a wellbeing services county as referred to in paragraph 2.
- However, a person in an employment relationship referred to above is eligible for election as a county councillor, if the employment relationship ends before the county councillors’ term begins.
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Determination of candidate eligibility
As a rule, the wellbeing services county in which a person is eligible to stand as a candidate is determined following the same schedule as the wellbeing services county in which the person is entitled to vote, in other words in accordance with the information contained in the Population Information System on the 51st day before election day. However, if a person moves to another municipality after that date so that their new municipality of residence is located in another wellbeing services county, the person is eligible to stand as a candidate in that wellbeing services county.